Weak password allowed hackers to sink a 158-year-old company


One password is believed to have been all it took for a ransomware gang to destroy a 158-year-old company and put 700 people out of work. KNP – a Northamptonshire transport company – is just one of tens of thousands of UK businesses that have been hit by such attacks.

Big names such as M&S, Co-op and Harrods have all been attacked in recent months. The chief executive of Co-op confirmed last week that all 6.5 million of its members had had their data stolen. In KNP’s case, it’s thought the hackers managed to gain entry to the computer system by guessing an employee’s password, after which they encrypted the company’s data and locked its internal systems.

Read more…
Source: BBC News


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Ring doorbell owners warned of bank raiding attack as thieves target Brits

    March 21, 2024

    Home security gadgets like Ring doorbells are increasingly being targeted by cyber crooks and their nasty phishing campaigns. Cybersecurity experts at Trustwave have warned Ring customers – and owners of similar gadgets from other brands – that home security tech is being used against the people its supposed to protect. Read more… Source: The Sun  

  • UK: Criminal investigation into council cyber attack

    March 20, 2024

    Ccriminal investigation has started into a cyber attack that has disrupted Leicester City Council’s systems for more than a week. The council said it could not comment on the nature of the incident while the investigation was ongoing. It told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it still could not say if there had been a data ...

  • British authorities investigating the Princess of Wales medical records breach

    March 20, 2024

    British authorities said Wednesday they are investigating a possible breach of the medical records of Catherine, Princess of Wales. The Information Commissioners Office said the inquiries follow a “breach report” it had received. “We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided,” it said. Read more… Source: Yahoo News  

  • UK: NHS Dumfries and Galloway hit by cyber attack with ‘significant quantity’ of data at risk

    March 15, 2024

    NHS Dumfries and Galloway has been hit by a cyber attack, with the health board saying a “significant quantity” of data has been put at risk and services could potentially be disrupted. In a statement posted to its website on Friday, the board said the attack was “focused and ongoing” and the files accessed could include ...

  • Third-Party Breach and Missing MFA Contributed to British Library Cyber-Attack

    March 11, 2024

    The British Library ransomware attack was likely caused by the compromise of third-party credentials coupled with no multifactor authentication (MFA) in place to stop the attackers, despite previous warnings about these risks. This is according to a British Library report that sheds new light on the October 2023 attack, which shut down digital services and breached ...

  • Jersey data breach leaks personal information

    March 7, 2024

    A data breach at Jersey’s Financial Services Commission has allowed access to non-public names and addresses. The organisation confirmed a “vulnerability” was detected in its Registry system on 23 January. It said the leak did not link any individuals to registered entities or roles held and that it had separately written to those whose names and addresses ...