Staff details stolen in poultry factory cyber attack

Banham Poultry said its systems were accessed remotely on 18 August

Staff at a poultry factory in Norfolk have had their personal details stolen in a cyber attack.

Banham Poultry, based in Attleborough, said criminals had remotely accessed its system in the early hours of 18 August.

In an email sent to staff, seen by the BBC, the company said information such as National Insurance numbers, copies of passports and bank details were accessed.

The company said it was providing staff with advice on credit monitoring and fraud detection following the security breach.

"The factory is operating as normal and as a precaution we have scanned systems to ensure security integrity," a spokesperson said.

"Colleagues are being paid as normal."

Banham Poultry employs about 600 people at its 12-acre (nearly five-hectare) factory, which supplies chicken to major supermarkets.

It said it immediately shut down its systems and "engaged external forensic specialists" following the cyber attack.

"We are not aware of anyone's information being used maliciously, or of any individual suffering any detriment as a result of the incident," the email from the company's HR department said.

"If, in the unlikely event, the data is published on the 'dark web' it is extremely difficult to access.

"We consider that the risk of any financial fraud being suffered by you is very low, although we cannot eliminate the possibility entirely."

The company turns over about £100m a year and processes about 650,000 chickens each week

The company said it had reported the incident to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and had installed "additional security".

According to the ICO, "more organisations than ever" are experiencing cyber attacks.

Last year it recorded 3,283 incidents, up from 2,156 in 2022.

Cases of ransomware – when criminals unlawfully encrypt files and demand a ransom to unencrypt files – rose by 66%.

Banham Poultry, part of the 2 Sisters Food Group, refused to say whether the cyber attack involved ransomware, but in the email to staff it added: "In most instances the criminals responsible are looking to gain money from companies rather than individuals."

The Unite union, which represents some employees at Banham Poultry, said it had not been contacted by any of its members with concerns.

The ICO confirmed it had been contacted by Banham Poultry and would be "making enquiries".