Bitter Pill Is Swallowed Again By UK's Favorite Potato Chip Manufacturer When Hit By Ransomware

UK-based firm of crisps, hit by ransomware attack. (photo; doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Hackers are hitting the UK again where it hurts by targeting some of their favorite snack manufacturers, such as Hula Hoops, KP Nuts, Butterkist popcorn, and Nik Naks in their cyberspace.

The company behind the brands, KP Snacks, has revealed that it has been hit by a cyberattack that could attack the supply of the popular UK snack. They only realized last Friday that they had fallen victim to a ransomware attack, in which hackers gained access to the network and took their data hostage.

"As soon as we became aware of the incident, we put in place our cybersecurity response plan and engaged a leading forensic information technology firm and legal counsel to assist us in our investigation," added the British firm, best known for its potato chips.

"Our internal IT team is continuing to work with third-party experts to assess the situation," said a spokesman for the company that owns the well-known brands McCoy's, Tyrrell's and POM-BEAR, as quoted by Reuters.

KP Snacks, which is owned by German's Intersnack, said it would continue to inform staff, customers, and suppliers of any developments and apologized for any disruption caused.

According to the Better Retailing website, which first published the news of the attack, KP Snacks has warned retailers about shipping delays.

This savory British confectionary has had a bittersweet and unpleasant time of late. In November, the country experienced a shortage of chips after an IT system upgrade at Walkers, the country's biggest producer, disrupted supply.

In December, wholesaler Spar James Hall fell victim to a cyberattack that forced the temporary closure of hundreds of stores, affecting sales of KP Snakcs as well. Now they are again swallowing the bitter pill of being hit by ransomware when they want to rise from these problems.

Such barriers have exacerbated delays in international supply chains and labor shortages in domestic transport and warehousing networks. Cyber attacks, from hackers, are really bad and can cripple the economy.