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Cyber Attacks
February 9, 2025
CVS Group, one of the largest veterinary companies in the UK, has reported a "cyber incident" that has significantly disrupted its operations and raised concerns over potential "malicious access" to personal information.As a result, the company has notified the Information Commissioner’s Office(ICO), the UK's privacy watchdog, due to the risk of unauthorised access to sensitive data.
CVS Group,which operates veterinary practices, diagnostic laboratories, and pet crematoriums, revealed that the incident occurred on Monday morning when it"recently detected and intercepted a cyber incident." The company has since been dealing with an "ongoing operational impact," with increased security and monitoring of IT systems in the wake of the attack.
The company confirmed that "unauthorised external access" had been gained to a "limited number" of its IT systems, but did not provide any information regarding the identity of the attacker. The privacy watchdog, theICO, has been informed due to the potential for personal information to be accessed maliciously.
Efforts to contain the breach have resulted in "considerable operational disruption" over the past week. To mitigate the impact, CVS Group temporarily took its IT systems offline to isolate the issue and prevent further unauthorised access. So far, these measures have been effective in halting additional external breaches.
Investigations are currently ongoing to determine the full scope and nature of the attack.While most veterinary services have continued, some IT systems are still"not working as efficiently" as usual, affecting operations at some veterinary practices. However, the company reported that IT services have been restored across most of its businesses.
CVS Group is known for acquiring smaller veterinary practices and, as of February 2022,owned 467 practices across the UK. The company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, also operates in the Netherlands, Ireland, and Australia,though these international operations were unaffected by the attack.
This cyber incident at CVS Group is the latest in a series of IT-related issues faced by companies in recent months. Recently, Barclays faced difficulties with payments and its online services, prompting an apology to customers.
Major supermarkets Sainsbury’s and Tesco were unable to fulfil online deliveries recently, due to a software update that caused technical problems.
Additionally,McDonald's experienced disruptions in its orders worldwide in March 2024,leading to the temporary closure of some branches due to system glitches caused by a third-party provider.
Cyber Regiment’s Battalion is a state-of-the-art monitoring system which alerts clients to unauthorised access and suspicious activity on the network. If a critical incident is detected, Cyber Regiment’s 24/7 Security Operations Centre is able to provide almost immediate incident response and help you to secure your network quickly and efficiently.
Please contact us to find out more about how Cyber Regiment can help you and your business stay protected against cyber-attacks.
Monitoring, prevention, response, legal and insurance – Cyber Regiment has you covered.
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