Scans of identity documents such as passports and driving licenses.
Documents that appear to be HR-related, displaying the personal data of what could be customers, including home address, office address, dates of birth, nationalities, and email addresses.
Corporate car-leasing documents exposing personal data.
Southern Water provides water services to 2.5 million customers and wastewater services to 4.7 million customers in the southern regions of the England.
The company said in a statement that if it finds evidence of customer or employee data being stolen, it will notify the affected individuals.
Inputting some of the details leaked on the cybercriminals' blog into a search engine suggests the details of both Southern Water employees and customers may be compromised.
The UK government, regulators, and the Information Commissioner's Office have been informed, it went on to say.
It's unclear where the root cause of the breach lies.
Some documents leaked online are branded with Greensands logos - the parent company of Southern Water.
Black Basta said it stole 750 GB worth of data in total, comprised of personal data and corporate documents, which is consistent with the small sample leaked online.
The gang said a full exposure of data will take place in six days if a ransom isn't paid.
The water and wastewater industry has become an increasingly popular target for cybercriminals over the past year, prompting the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to prioritize engagement with it to the same degree as the healthcare and education sectors.
Iranian attackers are thought to be behind an attack on a Pennsylvania water authority in November 2023 after compromising Unitronics programmable logic controllers.
Attacks on Western critical infrastructure have been an acute concern for cybersecurity authorities in recent years, and the UK National Cyber Security Centre has recently issued an advisory highlighting the threat to critical infrastructure, including water organizations.
In 2022, now-dismantled ransomware crew Clop claimed an attack on Thames Water but the silly skids instead breached South Staffordshire - parent company to South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water.
This Cyber News was published on www.theregister.com. Publication date: Wed, 24 Jan 2024 01:44:04 +0000