Salvation Army struck by ransomware attack

The UK arm of international charity, the Salvation Army, has been hit by a ransomware attack, and is thought to be negotiating with the attackers over the stolen data.

According to The Register, the Salvation Army first became aware of the attack around a month ago, which is believed to have affected a London data centre used by the organisation. 

A Salvation Army spokeperson has confirmed that the charity was compromised and has alerted UK regulators, saying: 

“We are investigating an IT incident affecting a number of our corporate IT systems. We have informed the Charity Commission and the Information Commissioner’s Office, are also in dialogue with our key partners and staff and are working to notify any other relevant third parties.”

The charity has also confirmed that its services for the vulnerable people have not been impacted and continue as normal. 

Currently no further information about the attack, such as the identity of the criminal attackers has been released. However, Salvation Army staff and volunteers have been advised to look out for any unusual banking activity from their accounts. 

Jake Moore, a cyber security specialist with Slovakian antivirus firm ESET, told The Register: “It is vital that those who could be at risk are equipped with the knowledge of how to mitigate further attacks. The first few days and weeks after a breach are the most important, as criminals will be quick to take advantage of the situation and strike while they still can.”