Skip to main content

The British Library ransomware attack

In October of last year the British Library suffered a ransomware attack. As recently as last month, the library was operating without any of its web based applications and facilities; no website, no phone lines and no online services at all. 

What happened to the British Library?

The British Library was the victim of a ransomware attack. In this kind of attack, a vulnerability in a system is exploited by a hacking group. This vulnerability could be anything from a poorly secured piece of hardware, like a printer without a password, or a phishing email opened using the British Library’s Wi-Fi. 

Whilst it is difficult to know for sure how hackers got into the British Library’s systems, once they did have access, they were able to encrypt the files which they had access to. This effectively scrambles the contents of all the files, rendering them unreadable. Within the system was a way to ‘pay the ransom’; send the group an inordinate amount of money (usually in Bitcoin or some other cryptocurrency) and they’ll provide the password to rectify the files. 

The British Library did not pay the ransom, and reportedly 490,191 files were made available for sale on the Dark Web. After a week, this data was made available for free. At time of writing, the British Library still hasn’t recovered from the attack; many of the services users depend on are still inaccessible.

All businesses are at risk of ransomware attacks

This isn’t the first debilitating ransomware attack that we’ve seen in the UK. Royal Mail and North East universities have both been targeted in recent years. Typically ransomware attacks like these completely shut down organisations; many essential services and applications become inaccessible and unusable. 

However, articles solely focusing on ransomware attacks like these can give the impression that a team of hackers are working away to break into the British Library. In reality, these ransomware attacks are much more passive; millions of businesses are being targeted every day. And it is a program, not people, looking for vulnerabilities within these systems. SMEs are just as likely to fall victim to one of these attacks as larger organisations. 

How can businesses protect themselves?

No matter the size of your business, it is essential that you think about cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery. Robust cybersecurity means that your organisation is prepared and protected against phishing scams and ransomware attacks. Investing in backups for your organisation means that if the worst does happen, you can still regain access to your files, documents and programs; and a disaster recovery plan means that your business can keep operating whilst your systems are being restored.

Transcendit can help you to find the right cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery for your business. We can also help you and your teams stay protected against phishing attacks and ransomware with U-Secure, which trains your employees against the latest cybersecurity threats, provides email phishing simulations, breach monitoring and business policy centralisation.

To get started with backup and disaster recovery, or to talk about U-Secure, give us a call on 0191 482 0444


The Transcendit Way

Transcendit understand that when you choose to work with us, whether we're taking care of your IT, app or web development, you're trusting us with part of your business. So whether we're looking after your computers, phone systems or servers we always do things 'the Transcendit way'.

The whole of our team adhere to the same values, beliefs and policies - the principles that were written when Transcendit first formed in 2000. Whether you come to us for cloud services or recovery backup you can be confident that you'll always receive the same excellent service.

The Transcendit way outlines how we do business; following the same straightforward principles with every client and customer, regardless of how big or small they may be.

That means we get to know you and your business. We offer you a friendly, professional and efficient service, and we'll always be honest with you.
We understand that not everybody speaks fluent IT, so we try to explain things in a way that is simple and clear. We always spend as much time as is necessary explaining things to you.
If you need to talk to us about something, no matter how insignificant, we are only ever a phone call away – and we’re never too busy to make you a cup of tea and have a sit down with you in person.
We understand how frustrating it can be when things are late. When we schedule an appointment with you, we are there when you’re expecting us. If something prevents us from getting there, we always call you in advance to let you know.
Sometimes things can go wrong, but we never lie to you or try to cover something up. If things go askew we tell you what’s happened and how we plan to prevent it affecting your business.
We want you to continuously benefit from working with us. We regularly discuss your business and make suggestions for improving systems and processes wherever we can – but we never try to push you into a purchase.
When we quote a fixed price, that's always the amount we charge – you won’t find any nasty surprises on a bill from us. If you are paying by time and materials, we inform you if our approximations could change.
We understand the importance of privacy for your business and your customers. We respect the confidentiality of your data, and we will never pass on your information to third parties.
We appreciate it when you take the time to give us feedback. A system called CustomerSure records our client's responses, so you can trust that our reviews are from real people.
Find out what they're saying here.
Everything explained very well. Great service, thank you. Susan Hunt, York Minster

Based on 12075 reviews our customers rate us 9.8/10. Reviews and ratings by Customersure. 09-October-2024

Transcendit are proud sponsors of CHUF, the Children's Heart Unit Fund.

Transcendit is a Microsoft Gold certified partner
VMWARE partner
Vipre partner
IPCortex partner
WithSecure partner
DELL partner
Barracuda partner
Veeam partner
N-Able partner