SHEFFIELD, U.K.–The personal data of about 15,000 members of a credit union here has been stolen in a cyber attack.
Sheffield Credit Union (SCU) has confirmed that information including names, addresses, national insurance numbers and bank details had been accessed.
The attack took place in February but is only now coming to light recently after hackers threatened to publish the data unless a ransom was paid, according to the BBC.
South Yorkshire Police said it was working with SCU and Action Fraud to investigate the breach.
Sheffield Credit Union has sent a letter to members in which it states, "We are writing to all of our members to inform them that Sheffield Credit Union was the victim of a cyber-crime incident, which is believed to have taken place on 14 February 2018 but only recently came to light. This incident may expose you to text messaging, cold calling and attempts to defraud."
SCU said it has since "reviewed and increased" its security and details of the attack had been passed to the relevant authorities, including police and Information Commissioners Office.
‘Brute-Force’ Attack
Board Chair Fiona Greaves told the BBC it is believed hackers accessed the data using a so-called "brute-force" attack, where they bombard computer systems with different password combinations in the hope of effectively guessing the correct one through trial and error.
Sheffield Credit Union is advising its members to monitor their bank and credit report for any unusual activity.