Today we were all emailed the following crib notes:
Essentially bad boys did it, and they ran away.
CLIENT FAQ
1. What exactly has happened?
Our parent company, xxxxx, has been the target of a cyber incident and in order to limit the impact of the incident, they have shut down their systems. This has subsequently shut down our IT network.
They are now working with external forensics specialists to investigate what happened and to rebuild our systems in a completely new and clean environment Our IT team took immediate action to limit the impact of this cyber incident by shutting off our systems, which consequently shut down the IT of each business within the group.
2. How did this happen?
This forms part of the investigation, which is in its very early stages.
3. What are we doing about it?
Xxxx has taken a number of proactive steps since becoming aware of the incident, including:
Engaging a dedicated team of external IT specialists to help us restore our systems and fully investigate what happened
Proactively shutting off our systems to limit the impact of the incident
Building a completely clean and new IT environment
4. Who did this?
We know that there was third party unauthorised and unlawful access to our systems but we can’t say more at this time.
5. Has any data been impacted?
The investigation into what happened is in its earliest stages, however, understanding if there has been any impact on data is a key part of the forensic investigation and we will not have an answer until that is complete. We will of course be complying with our regulatory responsibilities as we continue to respond to this incident.
6. How long will the investigation take?
The investigation is in its very early stages and therefore it may take some time to complete. We will update you further on the findings as soon as we are able to do so. Broadly, we have been told by our IT experts that conducting an extensive IT forensic investigation can take several weeks to complete.
7. How long until your systems are back up and running?
We are currently working with IT specialists to help us recover our systems as effectively as possible. They have advised that restoring our IT network safely and securely is no small feat but we are working hard to support you as best as possible.