Major US, UK Water Companies Hit by Ransomware
Two major water companies, Veolia North America in the United States and Southern Water in the United Kingdom, have been targeted in ransomware attacks that resulted in data breaches.
Veolia describes itself as the world’s largest private player in the water sector, providing water and wastewater services to tens of millions of people.
In a notice posted on its website, Veolia North America revealed that its Municipal Water division was hit by ransomware last week. In response to the incident, the company took down the targeted backend systems and servers, which disrupted online bill payment systems.
“This incident seems to have been confined to our internal back-end systems at Veolia North America, and there is no evidence to suggest it affected our water or wastewater treatment operations,” Veolia said.
The water company has also determined that the personal information of “a limited number of individuals” may have been compromised. Affected people will be notified by the firm.
No known ransomware group appears to have taken credit for the attack on Veolia.
Across the pond, a ransomware group targeted Southern Water, which provides water services to 2.5 million customers and wastewater services to 4.7 million customers in the South of England.
A statement issued by the company on Tuesday confirmed that suspicious activity was detected on its systems and an investigation has been launched.
Source: Security Week