The British Library had confirmed it has been the victim of a ransomware attack in which some of its HR data has reportedly been stolen.
The attackers hit late last month, making its website unavailable, preventing access to its digital catalogue and taking down its internal Wi-Fi, according to a report in The Standard.
According to another report by BNN Bloomberg, a ransomware gang named Rhysida has claimed responsibility in placing some undetailed data for sale on the dark web, and publishing copies of passports, driving licences and other documents.
The library reportedly said it has no evidence of other user data being compromised, but advised users to update their passwords.
An investigation into the attack has been launched with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and the Metropolitan Police.
Analysing impact
British Library’s chief executive Sir Roly Keating was quoted as saying in The Standard: “We are immensely grateful to our many users and partners who have shown such patience and support as we work to analyse the impact of this criminal attack and identify what we need to do to restore our online sytems in a safe and sustainable manner.
“It is too soon to offer an exact timetable, but we will provide regular updates as we progress this vital work.”
