Reports have emerged that the largest provider of forensic services in the UK, Eurofins Scientific, has paid a ransom to cyber criminals following an attack.
As this time, there aren’t any indications on the amount of money involved and when it was paid. The firm described the attacks as “highly sophisticated” and in a statement on the Eurofins website, they state the ransomware attack caused disruption to many of its IT systems in several countries.
BBC News has reported that police and law enforcement agencies in the UK have stopped submitting new samples to Eurofins until the company gives assurances that work can resume.
Ransomware, or ransom malware, is a type of malware that prevents users accessing systems or files until a ransom payment is made. Ransomware attacks have been happening since the 80’s and the average cost of an attack to a business is estimated at over £100,000, according to data from Sophos.
OmniCyber Security CEO, Bobbie Bhogal, said: “Companies must protect against threats across the board, attacks like this can bring huge multi-nationals down and cause irreparable damage to companies hard earnt reputation. If you are concerned I urge you to follow best practices, don’t wait until it is too late!”
Penetration testing can help you identify gaps in your organisation’s network that can be exploited by hackers. Contact OmniCyber Security today to discuss how he can help protect you.
