IT Systems Shutdown at Belgian-Based Company Following Security Breach

The Belgian-based company has notified customers that its UK and Ireland division had to close down its IT systems to contain the attack. It stated that it was not a ransomware attack, leaving open the possibility the breach came from a phishing incident: “We are further investigating this case and can confirm that this is not a ransomware attack. Also, at this time there is no evidence to assume that any data has been compromised. The reason why we have pre-emptively isolated our systems is to mitigate any further impact and adequately assess the threat.”

According to its website, SD Worx services 5.2 million employees for over 82,000 companies. Its customers in the UK include Asda, Marks & Spencer and WHSmith.

Immediate Response to Malicious Activities

On 10 April the company stated: “Our security team has discovered malicious activities in our hosted data centre last night. We have taken immediate action and have preventively isolated all systems and servers to mitigate any further impact. As a result, there is currently no access to our systems, which we deeply regret of course.”

Data Privacy Concerns

Because of the nature of the company’s work, concerns over the potential loss of data will centre on personal details such as addresses, bank accounts, birth dates, tax information, government ID numbers, addresses, full names and employee assessments.