London Drugs, a trusted retailer in the West, recently confirmed that a criminal group has released stolen employee data that was previously held for ransom. As an authorized reseller of Apple products and various wireless services from telecom providers, London Drugs is taking steps to address this concerning situation.

In a statement to CityNews, the company expressed its awareness of the situation, stating, “London Drugs has been named by cybercriminals as a victim of exfiltration of files from its corporate head office, and [it is] aware that some of these exfiltrated files have now been released.” The company also acknowledged that the leaked data may contain personal information of its employees.

London Drugs is actively working to mitigate any potential impacts from these criminal acts. The company is notifying all current employees whose personal information could be affected and providing them with complimentary credit monitoring services and identity theft protection.

The ransomware group LockBit posted links to files containing employee data on the dark web after initially demanding $25 million from London Drugs in exchange for the stolen data. This incident follows an April cyberattack that resulted in the temporary closure of retail stores.

Despite the release of these documents, London Drugs stands firm against paying the ransom. Cyber threat analyst Brett Callow commended the company’s decision not to give in to the demands, emphasizing that there is no guarantee that paying would result in the destruction of the data. Law enforcement investigations have revealed instances where organizations paid but their data was not deleted as promised.

Employees whose information was leaked are advised not to panic unnecessarily. Callow reassured individuals that it would be alarmist to assume the worst outcome. London Drugs continues to prioritize employee well-being and cybersecurity amid this challenging situation.