10:20 AM
Hampshire-based outsourcing firm, Serco has confirmed that parts of its infrastructure in mainland Europe have experienced a double extortion ransomware attack from cybercriminals operating the Babuk group.
The ransomware encrypts a victim's network and files after hackers have stolen data. It then proceeds to inform the victim of the breach by creating a note which asks the victim to negotiate an extortion payment to prevent stolen data from being released.
WHY IT MATTERS
Although the Department of Health and Social Care told
Healthcare IT News that the NHS Test and Trace programme was unaffected by the attack, experts have warned that the vulnerabilities in Serco's wider systems are of concern as the attack has exposed potential weaknesses.