Hackers hold Hula Hoops hostage in cyber-raid on Britain's KP Snacks
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[February 03, 2022]
LONDON (Reuters) - Hackers are
hitting Britain where it hurts by targeting some of its favourite
savoury snacks, with the likes of Hula Hoops, KP Nuts, Butterkist
popcorn and Nik Naks in their cyber sights.
The company behind those brands, KP Snacks, has revealed it has been hit
by a cyber-attack which could hit supplies of popular snacks. It said it
became aware last Friday that it was the victim of a ransomware attack,
where hackers gain access to a network and hold data hostage.
"As soon as we became aware of the incident, we enacted our
cybersecurity response plan and engaged a leading forensic information
technology firm and legal counsel to assist us in our investigation,"
added the British firm, well known for its crisps, or potato chips,
brands that also include McCoy's, Tyrrell's and POM-BEAR.
"Our internal IT teams continue to work with third-party experts to
assess the situation."
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![](../images/020322pics/news_v77.jpg)
Customers shop for groceries in a supermarket in London October 18,
2011. REUTERS/Neil Hall/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Feb/03/images/ads/current/graue_21BLAZER_081621.png) KP Snacks, owned by German's
Intersnack, said it was continuing to keep staff, customers, and
suppliers informed of any developments and apologised for the
disruption caused.
According to the website Better Retailing, which first published
news of the attack, KP Snacks has warned retailers of delivery
delays.
Britain's savoury snackers have endured a torrid time of late; in
November, the country suffered a shortage of crisps after an IT
system upgrade at Walkers, the country's biggest producer, disrupted
supplies. In December, Spar wholesaler James Hall was the victim of
a cyber-attack, forcing the temporary closure of hundreds of stores.
Such snags have compounded delays in international supply chains and
labour shortages in domestic transport and warehousing networks.
(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Pravin Char)
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