Royal Mail said it’s working with Britain’s cyber-security agencies to resolve an incident that has effectively halted overseas postal and parcel deliveries.
(Bloomberg) — Royal Mail said it’s working with Britain’s cyber-security agencies to resolve an incident that has effectively halted overseas postal and parcel deliveries.
The UK business warned Wednesday that people should hold off from posting export items after a cyber incident triggered “severe service disruption” that rendered it unable to dispatch to international locations.
“Our teams are working around the clock to resolve this disruption and we will update customers as soon as we have more information,,” Royal Mail said in a statement. “We immediately launched an investigation into the incident and we are working with external experts.”
Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre said on its website that it cooperating with Royal Mail and the National Crime Agency “to fully understand the impact.”
The cyber incident comes as Royal Mail grapples with a wave of industrial action over pay for delivery and sorting-office staff as higher inflation rates increase living costs.
Workers are also resisting plans to cut jobs and refocus rounds on the late afternoon and evening, and to increase weekend deliveries, in order to better address the burgeoning market for next-day parcel deliveries tied to a boom in online purchasing.
Royal Mail said some customers may experience delays to items already shipped for export, though its import business is continuing to offer a full service, with minor delays.
Shares of Royal Mail parent International Distributions Services Plc traded 0.4% lower as of 9 a.m. in London Thursday after dropping 0.8% Wednesday.
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