Following a recent cyber-attack, in a letter to retailers, 1st reported by Better Retailing, KP Snacks stated it “cannot safely process orders or dispatch goods”.
The producer of McCoys, Hula Hoops & several types of nuts apologised for any disruption.
In a message quoted by Better Retailing, a wholesaler warned problems could last into March.
“Initial discussions have highlighted that no orders will be being placed or delivered for a couple of weeks at least, & service could be affected until the end of March at the earliest,” the wholesaler revealed.
Countdown Timer
In a post on the darknet, cyber-criminals published personal documents from staff, with the company letterhead.
A countdown timer on the page warns more will be published unless a ransom is paid.
Often, ransomware hackers will gain entry to a computer network, steal valuable data & then scramble the victim’s copies of documents.
Ransoms are then demanded for the decryption of the data & the deletion of the hacker’s copy of sensitive information.
Cybersecurity Evangelist
Neil Jones, Cybersecurity Evangelist, Egnyte wrote about this –
“The KP snacks ransomware attack demonstrates that your organisation needs to make cyber-security a Boardroom priority if you haven’t done so already.
For years, cyber-criminals have attacked targets for financial gain, but now we are seeing an alarming pattern of debilitating attacks on our food, critical infrastructure, & IP supply chain, which can have a crippling impact across the economy.
While advocating support from your executive team, you need to implement proactive data hygiene & protective behaviours, such as patching your CVEs and hardening your databases now. It could be a real lifesaver.”
Cyber-Security Response
KP Snacks, which has a factory in Billingham, explained: “On Fri., 28 Jan., we became aware that we were unfortunately victims of a ransomware incident.
“As soon as we became aware of the incident, we enacted our cyber-security response plan & engaged a leading forensic information technology firm & legal counsel to assist us in our investigation.
Informed
“We have been continuing to keep our colleagues, customers, & suppliers informed of any developments & apologise for any disruption this may have caused.”
The police advise organisations not to pay ransoms, but many do.
In June 2021, the world’s largest meat-processing company paid criminals $11m (£7.8m), for example.
