A 158-year-old UK transport company, KNP Logistics, has shut down after falling victim to a devastating ransomware attack, leaving around 700 employees jobless. According to a BBC report, hackers managed to break into KNP’s systems by simply guessing an employee’s password, encrypting sensitive company data and crippling internal operations.
KNP, which ran around 500 lorries under the well-known Knights of Old brand, had standard cybersecurity measures in place, including cyber-attack insurance. But that wasn’t enough to stop the notorious Akira ransomware gang from bringing the company to its knees.
The hackers locked down KNP’s systems and demanded a ransom in exchange for restoring access. A chilling ransom note left by the group read: “If you're reading this, it means the internal infrastructure of your company is fully or partially dead.” Experts estimated the ransom demand could have been as high as £5 million. Unable to meet the demand, KNP suffered total data loss, ultimately forcing it to shut down.
Sadly, KNP isn’t alone. High-profile British companies like M&S, Harrods, and Co-op have also faced cyberattacks. Co-op, for instance, had the data of 6.5 million members stolen.
Cybercrime is now a growing national concern in the UK. Richard Horne, CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), stressed the need for businesses to strengthen their digital defences. “Hackers aren’t coming up with revolutionary new tricks — they just find weak spots and exploit them,” said Sam, a member of the NCSC's incident response team.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) warns the problem is only getting worse. Suzanne Grimmer from the NCA said ransomware attacks have nearly doubled to around 35-40 cases a week in just two years. With hacking tools easier to access than ever and tactics like phone scams on the rise, experts fear 2025 could be the worst year on record for cyberattacks in the UK.
The KNP case is a grim reminder of how one simple security lapse — a weak password — can take down even the oldest, most established businesses.
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