UK’s Royal Mail investigates major data breach

Royal Mail is investigating a significant cybersecurity incident after a hacker known as ‘GHNA’ claimed to have leaked 144GB of sensitive customer data. The files were allegedly obtained through Spectos, a third-party analytics provider, and posted on the BreachForums platform. While the leaked information includes names, addresses, parcel data, and internal recordings, Royal Mail stated that its delivery services remain unaffected.

Spectos confirmed a breach on 29 March, explaining that the attack stemmed from a 2021 malware infection that compromised an employee’s credentials. Cybersecurity firm Hudson Rock linked the same login data to another recent attack involving Samsung. The exposed dataset includes thousands of files containing mailing lists from Mailchimp, Zoom meetings, logistics details, and a WordPress database, raising concerns about the security of Royal Mail’s extended network.

The breach is the latest in a series of cyber incidents targeting the UK’s Royal Mail, following a 2023 ransomware attack that halted international shipping and a 2022 outage in its tracking systems. While the full extent of the latest leak remains under investigation, experts warn that prolonged access to internal systems may have occurred before the data was released. No public notification procedures have yet been confirmed.

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