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Cyber-attack on WH Smith targets personal staff details

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Summary

WH Smith has revealed that it was the target of a cyber-attack, in which the personal details of current and former employees were accessed illegally. The retailer said customer accounts and the customer database were not affected, and that they had launched an investigation and notified the relevant authorities. This comes shortly after other cyber incidents such as Royal Mail and the Guardian, and the government estimates that cybercrime costs the UK economy £28bn a year.

Q&As

What was the cyber-attack on WH Smith targeting?
The cyber-attack on WH Smith was targeting personal staff details.

How did WH Smith respond to the cyber-attack?
WH Smith responded to the cyber-attack by launching an investigation, engaging specialist support services, and implementing incident response plans, including notifying the relevant authorities.

Was the attack successful in accessing customer details?
No, the attack was not successful in accessing customer details.

How much is cybercrime estimated to be costing the UK economy annually?
Cybercrime is estimated to be costing the UK economy £28bn a year.

What was the cause of the increase in cybercrime aimed at individuals in recent years?
The increase in cybercrime aimed at individuals was fuelled in recent years by scams exploiting the pandemic.

AI Comments

👍 WH Smith is taking the cyber attack incident very seriously and responded quickly by launching an investigation and notifying the relevant authorities. They are also providing support to affected colleagues.

👎 It is concerning that the cyber-attack was able to access personal details of current and former employees and that cybercrime is increasingly targeting individuals.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about a cyber-attack on WH Smith that targeted personal staff details. The company said it launched an investigation into the incident and notified the relevant authorities.

Friend: Wow, that's really concerning. It's scary to think that a company of that size could be targeted and it raises a lot of questions about cybersecurity.

Me: Yeah, it certainly does. It's worrying that cybercrime is becoming increasingly common and that it can have such a big impact on businesses. It's also concerning that organised criminal gangs and state actors are involved in such attacks. It highlights the need for businesses to take cybersecurity seriously and invest in measures to protect their data and systems.

Action items

Review your company's cybersecurity policies and procedures to ensure they are up to date and effective.
Educate yourself and your staff on the latest cyber threats and how to protect against them.
Implement a comprehensive cyber security plan that includes regular security audits, employee training, and the use of secure passwords and two-factor authentication.

Technical terms

Cyber-attack: A cyber-attack is an attack on a computer system or network, usually from an outside source, with the intent of stealing, altering, or destroying data.
Investigation: An investigation is a process of gathering information and evidence to determine the facts of a situation.
Relevant authorities: Relevant authorities are the government or other organizations that have the power to enforce laws or regulations related to a particular situation.
Data: Data is information that is collected, stored, and used for a specific purpose.
Incident response plans: Incident response plans are procedures and protocols that organizations have in place to respond to a security incident.
Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting computer systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, use, or destruction.
Ransomware: Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts a user's data and demands a ransom in exchange for the decryption key.
Scams: A scam is a fraudulent scheme designed to deceive people into giving away money or personal information.