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Cybercriminals hack BBC, British Airways, Boots and Aer Lingus

Zellis, a payroll services provider in the UK, confirmed data from eight of its client firms had been stolen but did not disclose the specific names.

 Independently, affected organizations have been issuing warnings to their staff members.

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The BBC sent an email to its employees, revealing stolen data included staff ID numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, and national insurance numbers.

Similarly, British Airways cautioned its staff bank details may have been compromised.

The National Cyber Security Centre in the UK has been closely monitoring the situation and has urged organizations using the compromised software to implement necessary security updates.

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The hack was initially disclosed by Progress Software, a US company which revealed hackers had found a vulnerability in their MOVEit Transfer tool.

MOVEit is a widely used software designed to securely transfer sensitive files, with a majority of its customers based in the US.

Progress Software promptly alerted its customers and released a downloadable security update.

The company is working with law enforcement agencies to combat the increasingly sophisticated cyber criminals exploiting vulnerabilities in widely-used software products.

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The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a warning to firms using MOVEit, instructing them to download a security patch to mitigate further breaches.

However, security researcher Kevin Beaumont discovered through internet scans numerous company databases remain vulnerable as many affected firms have yet to install the fix.

There is an early indication a significant number of prominent organizations have been impacted by the attack.

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Experts speculate cybercriminals may attempt to extort money from the affected organizations rather than individuals.

Although no ransom demands have been publicly disclosed, it is anticipated the hackers will contact the organizations via email to demand payment.

They might threaten to expose the stolen data online, enticing other hackers to exploit it.

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As a precaution, victim organizations are reminding their staff members to remain vigilant against suspicious emails could potentially lead to further cyber-attacks.

While no official attribution has been made, Microsoft believes the criminals responsible are associated with the notorious Cl0p ransomware group, believed to be based in Russia.

The US tech giant attributed the attacks to Lace Tempest, known for conducting ransomware operations and operating the Cl0p extortion website where victim data is published.

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Microsoft noted these hackers have employed similar techniques in previous incidents to steal data and extort victims.

The National Crime Agency confirmed its awareness of a cyber incident impacting several UK-based organizations due to a previously unknown security flaw in MOVEit Transfer.

The agency is actively collaborating with partners to provide support to affected organizations and assess the overall impact on the UK.

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