According to specialists in ethical hacking training in India and the International Institute of Cyber Security, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has put all their efforts in containing a ransomware attack that infected the systems of this organization (which it’s kind of a union of Police employees).
Through their Twitter account, PFEW stated that
they detected the infection in their systems last March 9th. “We collaborate
together with experts in ethical hacking training in India to contain the
outbreak and prevent its spread”. PFEW informed the UK’s Information Commissioner
Office (ICO) after discovering the infection.
After the first investigations, the PFEW
declared that this incident is not a particularly targeted attack against the
organization. In addition, they add that there is no evidence of data
theft, so they believe that it is most likely a conventional ransomware
attack.
“Although we still can’t rule out the
possibility, there’s no evidence of data theft. We will continue to implement additional
security measures and notify any person potentially affected by this incident”,
mentions the PFEW statement. This organization has about 120k police officers,
sergeants and inspectors registered.
Although the PFEW has taken the case according
to established procedures, police workers have reacted negatively to this
incident, mainly because of the delay with which the information has reached
the possibly implicated individuals.
The British police began an investigation into
the case since according to the experts in ethical hacking training in India
among the possibly compromised information are files of the UK’s National Cyber
Security Centre and the National Crime Agency.
The PFEW carries out the tasks of a union trade,
such as counseling for its members and relations with chief police officers,
although there is a fundamental difference between this organization and a
conventional union trade: the UK laws don’t allow members of the PFEW to go on
strike.
