- World famous British Museum is suffering from day long cyberattack
- The attack was caused by a previous IT contractor
- Exhibitions were closed over the weekend but have since opened reopened
A former employee of the British Museum has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and criminal injury after allegedly performed a cyber attack on the site closing exhibitions for several days.
“An IT contractor that was dismissed last week violated the museum and closed several of our systems. Police participated and he was arrested at the scene, ”said a spokesman for the British Museum.
The former contractor’s actions prompted the ticket system for the museum to cease to work, which led to exhibitions being only open to pre -ordered bookings and members.
Exhibitions closed
Metropolitan Police said it had been called to the museum at. 20.25 last Thursday on reports that “a man entered the British Museum and caused damage to the museum’s security and IT systems”. Police participated in the stage and arrested a man in the 50s who has since been rescued.
An E email sent to members of the British Museum this morning said the museum’s three exhibitions were now open. “The closures in the last days will have been disappointing and frustrating, and we are very sorry if your scheduled visit was affected.”
“We will work to add additional opportunities to see the exhibitions out of hours in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience and understanding as colleagues worked to solve the problems,” the e email said.
The museum also offered a refund to ticket holders.
The attack highlights the need for organizations to implement strict identity management policies to ensure that credentials and privileges are abolished when an employee’s contract ends, which prevents them from accessing it or network infrastructure.
Museums, charities and other cultural institutions are increasingly becoming the goals of ransomware and cyber attacks due to customer data they handle. Organizations such as these often do not recognize themselves as potential goals of cyber attacks, and as a result, less priority is putting on investing in cyber security systems.
Via The Guardian
