Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill, was hit with a ransomware attack that shut down 300 of its UK restaurants.
YUM! Brands has over 5 billion in assets and generates an annual net profit of over $1.3 billion while managing 53,000 restaurants in 155 different countries and territories.
In a press release, Yum! Brands noted that “immediately upon notice of the event, the Company commenced response actions,” which included “deploying containment measures,” such as taking some systems offline and implementing improved monitoring technology.
What is Ransomware Attack:
Files are encrypted by ransomware attackers, who then demand money in exchange for the key to unlock them. These cybercriminals get access to their targets’ systems using phishing or fraudulent e-mails or software applications, at which point they can steal or modify any files they find. In the case of ransom attacks on businesses like restaurants or shopping centers, private consumer information may be at risk.
About Ransomware Gang Steal:
Company officials also contacted federal authorities and started an investigation with the help of top cybersecurity experts. There should be no more disruptions to service at the affected restaurants in the United Kingdom as a result of the incident.
Ransomware frequently extorts victims by stealing data from compromised networks. Yum! Brands have confirmed that data was stolen in the attack, but there is no evidence that customer information has been disclosed.
According to the Yum! Brands statement, “while data was taken from the company’s network and an investigation is continuing, at this moment there is no evidence that customer databases were stolen.
” A quote from the company’s SEC report reads, “While this issue caused brief disruption, the company is aware of no additional restaurant outages and does not expect this occurrence to have a major adverse impact on its business, operations, or financial results.”
