Cyber crime gang Clop issues ultimatum to 100,000 victims of hacking - threatening to release their personal details

7 June 2023, 09:12

The BBC, British Airways, Boots, Aer Lingus, Nova Scotia Government and the University of Rochester were targeted
The BBC, British Airways, Boots, Aer Lingus, Nova Scotia Government and the University of Rochester were targeted. Picture: Alamy

By Asher McShane

A cybercrime gang that is thought to be based in Russia has warned more than 100,000 staff at major British companies to email them before June 14 or stolen data will be published.

According to the BBC, whose employees were victims in the hack, the Clop group made the threat in broken English on the dark web.

Also targeted in the hack were the payrolls of British Airways, Boots, Aer Lingus, Nova Scotia Government and the University of Rochester after the gang broke into a piece of popular business software called MOVEit and used that access to get into the databases of potentially hundreds of other companies.

On Wednesday Clop had posted: "This is announcement to educate companies who use Progress MOVEit product that chance is that we download a lot of your data as part of exceptional exploit."

Listen and subscribe to Unprecedented: Inside Downing Street on Global Player

Harry says tabloids cast ‘me as thicko and playboy’ as he sets to return to witness box for second day in hacking trial

The post went on to urge organisations affected by the hack to send an email to the gang to begin a negotiation on the crew's darknet portal, the broadcaster said.

Earlier this week the UK's leading payroll provider Zellis said that eight of its customers have been impacted by the "global issue", which may have exposed personal information, including names, addresses, and banking details.

Boots confirmed it made its staff aware of the data vulnerability which it said was affecting many companies around the world.

A Boots spokeswoman said: "A global data vulnerability, which affected a third-party software used by one of our payroll providers, included some of our team members' personal details.

"Our provider assured us that immediate steps were taken to disable the server, and as a priority we have made our team members aware."

British Airways, which has around 34,000 people employed in the UK, also confirmed it was one of the companies to be caught up in the cyber attack.

"We have notified those colleagues whose personal information has been compromised to provide support and advice," a spokesman said.

British Airways and Zellis have both reported the incident to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the firm said.

It comes after outsourcing firm and government contractor Capita was recently affected by a cyber attack that saw some customer, supplier and staff data accessed by hackers.

Capita said it faces a bill of up to £20 million to deal with the incident, including for recovery and remediation costs and to invest in reinforcing its cyber security defences.

British Airways suffered a data hack in 2018, when the attacker is believed to have potentially accessed the personal data of approximately 429,612 customers and staff.

It included the names, addresses, payment card numbers and the three digits on the back of cards of 77,000 customers, and card numbers only for 108,000 customers.

The airline was fined £20 million by the ICO after investigators found it should have identified the security weaknesses that enabled the attack.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

British Irish Council summit

Renewed Israeli bombardment of Gaza will prove counterproductive, says Varadkar

Meghan's 'secret support for Charles' amid royal 'racism row'

Meghan's secret sign of support for Charles as senior royals prepare to meet for the first time since racism row erupted

Evacuation after a storm

Heavy rains leave several dead before storm Michaung makes landfall in India

Jacek Siewiera, the chief of Poland's National Security Bureau, said Nato has three years to prepare for Russian attack

Nato has three years to prepare for a Russian attack, Poland warns as fears grow over another Putin offensive

The branches have now been reattached by tree surgeons, who hammered the branches back into the tree on Monday afternoon.

'Spruced up': 'Half dead' Trafalgar Square Christmas tree praised for being 'best in years' after 'branch transplant'

James Cleverly arrives in Rwanda ahead of the signing of the new treaty

Home Secretary James Cleverly hails ‘robust’ new Rwanda migrant treaty designed to get planes in the air next spring

In order to appear on the ballot, candidates need to secure the nomination of 20 Oireachtas (Irish Assembly) members or four local authorities.

Conor McGregor throws hat into Irish political ring and hints at running for president in 2025 election

The ancient vase

British Museum loan to Greece coincides with dispute over Elgin Marbles

The 'real-life criminals' that inspired GTA 6's new characters

From Bonnie and Clyde to the 'Miami Joker': The real-life criminals that have 'inspired' GTA 6 'Vice City'

A British Medical Association (BMA) picket outside University College Hospital in October

Junior doctors to stage fresh wave of strikes over Christmas and New Year period after rejecting new pay offer

Police and paramedics swept on Aberfan

'Heavily pregnant' woman, 29, stabbed in Aberfan street as schools locked down and armed police hunt on-the-run knifeman

Party leaders

Norwegian government makes deal over deep sea mining in Arctic Ocean

Prince Harry is taking legal action against the Home Office over a decision not to allow him to fund the same protection as when he was a working royal.

Prince Harry 'unjustifiably treated less favourably than others' over his UK security arrangements, High Court hears

The woman was paddleboarding when she was attacked by the shark. (stock images)

Boston newlywed, 44, killed in shark attack while paddleboarding in Bahamas

Kate Middleton visited Evelina London this morning

Business as usual: Kate brushes aside royal race row as she opens life-changing unit at children's hospital

Drone attack damage

Deadly Russian shelling hits southern Ukrainian city