Royal Mail Ransomware Attack – Part 2

Royal Mail Ransomware Attack – Part 2

Following on from part 1 of our Royal Mail blog, our consultants take a more technical approach to the Royal Mail Ransomware attack and dive deeper into what happened.

A Recap – What Happened?

The attack against Royal Mail began on the 10th of November when the Ransomware, Emotet, was first noticed. The malware had already infected dozens of computers and servers at the company’s headquarters. On further investigation by our team, it appeared that attackers had been able to gain access to various systems through phishing emails sent out to Royal Mail employees.

What Are The Long Term Effects For Royal Mail?

The attack had significant ramifications for Royal Mail and its customers. First, the company was required to take down various systems in order to contain the infection and prevent any further damage. This resulted in disruption of many services, including email, webmail and customer accounts. In addition, the company also had to address issues caused by the disruption such as delayed mail, lost parcels and changes in delivery routes.

What Did we Learn From The Attack?

While Royal Mail is still dealing with the effects of the attack, there are lessons to be learned from this experience. The most important thing is that organisations should always have robust security measures in place and ensure they are regularly updated and tested. Furthermore, employees should be trained on how to spot potential malicious emails.

The attack highlighted the dangers of ransomware, which is becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect. It also showed how important it is for organisations to have robust security measures in place to protect their data and systems. Royal Mail has since implemented a range of new security measures including multi-factor authentication , improved monitoring and increased user training.

Finally, we can also see the importance of having a reliable disaster recovery plan in place. In the event of a cyber attack, organisations need to be able to restore their systems quickly and ensure business continuity. Royal Mail has implemented various steps to improve its disaster recovery capabilities including improving its backup processes and investing in more secure storage solutions.

Conclusion

By taking the right steps and learning from this experience, Royal Mail can help ensure that it is better prepared for any future attacks. It is essential that organisations stay vigilant and continue to review their security measures to protect against cyber threats. Here at Pentest People, we take a different approach to traditional testing, Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) reduces your window of risk by constantly testing your systems and infrastructure, alongside your regular testing. Learn more today and get in touch.