LONDON (Reuters) – Police in the northern English city of Manchester said on Thursday a third-party supplier that holds some information on its employees had suffered a ransomware attack.
The affected data is not believed to have included financial information, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
“We are aware of a ransomware attack affecting a third-party supplier of various UK organisations, including GMP, which holds some information on those employed by GMP,” Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane said in a statement.
“This is being treated extremely seriously, with a nationally-led criminal investigation into the attack.”
The BBC reported the attack involved a firm which makes identity cards.
McFarlane said GMP had contacted Britain’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, about the incident.
In late August, London’s Metropolitan Police said it had been made aware of an unauthorised access to the IT systems of one of its suppliers, which had access to the names, ranks and vetting levels of its officers and staff.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)
