Overview

• Up to 500,000 Southern Water customers and numerous employees may have had their personal data stolen in a cyberattack linked to the Russian hacking group Black Basta.
• The breach, discovered in January, involved sensitive information such as bank details and National Insurance numbers.
• Southern Water has engaged cybersecurity experts to monitor the dark web for leaked data and offered fraud monitoring services to affected customers.
• The company has reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office and is working with the National Cyber Security Centre.
• Southern Water has not confirmed whether it complied with any ransom demands, but its name was removed from Black Basta's website, a move often seen after ransom payments.