British utility providing water to 1.6mn consumers target of cyber crime

South Staffordshire PLC, parent company of South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water, has been the target of a criminal cyber-attack. The utilities together provide water to 1.6 million consumers in the UK.

In a statement released to the public, the British water utilities company explained how the incident had no effect on their ability to supply safe water. South Staffs Water supplies drinking water to approximately 1.3 million people and Cambridge Water supplies the same for 351,000 customers.

South Staffordshire cited the systems and quick response of their teams as preventing damage that may have resulted from the attack, a result of measures that were put in place on a precautionary basis.

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“As the pressure on the energy sector is rising, the cyber-attack on South Staffordshire Water highlights how cyber criminals are targeting organisations within this industry,” commented Chris Vaughan, AVP of technical account management, EMEA at cybersecurity and systems management company Tanium.

“This is a trend which, unfortunately, I expect to continue. It’s also a worrying reflection of the rapidly growing ransomware market, with major attacks now being reported almost weekly. These attacks are growing in sophistication – with criminal gangs becoming more targeted in their approach and increasing the huge sums of money that they are demanding.”

Vaughan brought into light the swift response from South Staffordshire due to their control and systems that were in place for such an attack.

“In the aftermath of an attack, it is important to immediately start the process of damage control, to mitigate the impact as much as possible and avoid future attacks.”

Express reporting states that the hacking was attempted by malware group C10p, known for encrypting victims’ computer network files and making IT systems redundant unless an extortionate sum is paid. In this case, no such encryption was placed, according to the newspaper.

The utilities company has reassured consumers that they are working closely with relevant government and regulatory authorities on the matter and will update communications as their investigations develop.