Ransomware group Cl0p has hacked British drinking water company

The ransomware gang Cl0p says it has stolen files from a British drinking water company and is demanding a ransom. The hackers also claim to have access to systems that affect drinking water, but the company denies this. It is not clear how much money Cl0p wants.

South Staffordshire, parent company of South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water drinking water companies, confirms to be the target of a cyber attack. “This incident has had no impact on how we provide safe drinking water and we confirm that we continue to supply safe water to all of our customers,” the company wrote. There would only be a ‘disruption’ to the company’s business IT networks. Customer service would still be available. There is no mention of stolen data.

cl0p says been in the company’s computer systems for “months” and have stolen more than 5TB of data. The group says it has access to “every system, including the one that determines how many chemicals get into the water.” Cl0p says it has been in talks with South Staffordshire, but that this did not respond to the demands of the ransomware gang.

The group says it has not encrypted any data and says it has no intention of polluting drinking water. “But if we can do it, another group can too. They may well cause damage.”

The ransomware gang says it wants to publish all data and has already put part of it online. This publication created some confusion about who had been hacked. In the first statement, Cl0p spoke about Thames Water, the largest drinking water company in England and responsible for drinking water in London. This company denied however being a victim of a cyber attack. The data shared by Cl0p shows that it has indeed hacked South Staffordshire, reports Bleeping Computer.