{"id":57732,"date":"2023-11-29T15:05:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T15:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/29\/british-library-confirms-customer-data-was-stolen-by-hackers-with-outage-expected-to-last-months-techcrunch\/"},"modified":"2023-11-29T15:05:35","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T15:05:35","slug":"british-library-confirms-customer-data-was-stolen-by-hackers-with-outage-expected-to-last-months-techcrunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/29\/british-library-confirms-customer-data-was-stolen-by-hackers-with-outage-expected-to-last-months-techcrunch\/","title":{"rendered":"British Library confirms customer data was stolen by hackers, with outage expected to last ‘months’ | TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The British Library has told customers that their personal data may have been stolen during a recent ransomware attack that knocked the library\u2019s systems and website offline for the past month.<\/p>\n

In a notice sent to customers this week, which TechCrunch has seen, the British Library said that its customer relation management (CRM) databases were accessed during the cyberattack, which the Rhysida ransomware gang has since claimed responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a minimum these databases contain the name and email address of most of our users,\u201d the disclosure notice reads. \u201cFor users of some of our services, these databases may also contain a postal address or telephone number.\u201d<\/p>\n

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We\u2019re continuing to experience a major technology outage as a result of a cyber-attack. This is affecting our website, online systems and services, as well as some onsite services. Our sites are still open and you can find details of the services available, plus other useful\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/JBmMTBRP1M<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 British Library (@britishlibrary) November 27, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s not known how many customers are affected, and British Library spokesperson Lishani Ramanayake declined to say when asked by TechCrunch.<\/p>\n

In a listing on its dark web leak site, the Rhysida gang claims to have published 90% of the data it stole from the British Library. According to the listing, seen by TechCrunch, this includes over 490,000 files, totaling 573 gigabytes, which the British Library did not dispute when asked. Ransomware gangs typically publish files on their dark web leak sites to extort victims into paying a ransom.<\/p>\n

The Rhysida gang previously put the data up for sale for about $740,000 worth of cryptocurrency at the time of publication.<\/p>\n

TechCrunch has reviewed portions of the published data, including various internal documents, such as training information and invoices, and sensitive employee information, like salary details and scans of passports.<\/p>\n

In an earlier update published last week<\/a>, the British Library confirmed that some internal data had leaked online, which \u201cappears to be from our internal HR files.\u201d At the time, the organization said it had \u201cno evidence\u201d that customer data was compromised.<\/p>\n

The British Library said in its most recent disclosure that customers\u2019 payment information is not included in the leak as all payment processing is outsourced to third-party payment providers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are, therefore, confident that no credit or debit card data was on the affected network, and that any card details you may have used to make purchases with us,\u201d the library said.<\/p>\n

The British Library\u2019s systems were first compromised in October and the incident continues to affect the library\u2019s website, online systems, and some on-site services, including access to collection items. Its website currently displays a message stating that the British Library is experiencing a \u201cmajor technology outage\u201d due to the cyber incident.<\/p>\n

The library says that while it \u201canticipates restoring more services in the next few weeks,\u201d disruption to certain services is now expected to \u201cpersist for several months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Do you have more information about the British Library cyberattack? You can contact Carly Page securely on Signal at +441536 853968 or by <\/i>email<\/i><\/a>. You can also contact TechCrunch via <\/i>SecureDrop<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n