Several major companies, including British Airways, Boots, the BBC, and Aer Lingus, have disclosed that they were impacted by a major security breach involving Zellis, a payroll supplier. In addition, the Nova Scotia provincial government in Canada was also hacked. The company acknowledged that personal information of tens of thousands of its employees was leaked. The information included names, addresses, national insurance numbers, and banking information, among other sensitive details.
The company identified the breach as being caused by a vulnerability in the popular file transfer tool MOVEit. Zellis declined to provide any information on the number of clients affected by the hack. It did, however, reveal that the company is collaborating with the UK data protection agency and the National Cyber Security Centre to investigate the extent of the breach and take appropriate measures to address it.
British Airways stated that the hack affected its employees early this week, specifically those paid through its payroll in the UK and Ireland. The company advised its staff that their personal information was compromised, including their names, employee numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, the first lines of their home addresses, and national insurance numbers. The Airways representative acknowledged that the breach occurred through a third-party supplier, MOVEit, following the vulnerability in the file transfer technology.
Boots also confirmed that the breach affected tens of thousands of its staff. The company informed its employees that their details, including their names, surnames, employee numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, the first lines of their home addresses, and national insurance numbers, were exposed.
The BBC acknowledged the data breach at its third-party supplier, Zellis, but noted that there was no indication that the leak involved employee bank information. The media house stated that it was aware of the situation and working closely with its supplier to investigate the extent of the breach.
Following the security breach, Microsoft’s threat intelligence team attributed the attack to a group known as Lace Tempest. The organisation is extensively involved in ransomware activities and operates an “extortion site” with data collected from Clop ransomware attacks. Microsoft further stated that Lace Tempest used similar vulnerabilities in the past to steal data and extort victims.
MOVEit has been the subject of security concerns since its maker, Progress Software, identified a weakness that could have allowed hackers to intercept data being transferred through the program last week. However, MOVEit has since addressed the vulnerability exploited by the hackers and is collaborating with specialists to investigate the issue further and ensure response measures appropriate to the situation are taken.
Businesses need to be vigilant when it comes to third-party suppliers, who handle essential systems and sensitive data. Suppliers, too, should ensure the necessary security measures to ensure that such cases don’t occur. The incident caused considerable distress to employees, customers and clients alike, with the breach of confidentiality and complete disregard for sensitive information. As companies continue to become reliant on technological advancement, more caution is urged from all entities involved in the business supply chain to maintain stability and ensure the safe handling of their sensitive data.
In conclusion, cybercriminals continue to be innovative in exploiting weaknesses in both software and human operations, making it essential for companies to take the necessary measures to bolster their cybersecurity. The recent breach brings to the fore cyber threats and the importance of continually investing in secure technologies and systems. While businesses continue to be reliant on technology, it is necessary to remain vigilant to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.