07 March 2022

Max Locatelli, Infoblox

KP Snacks, one of the biggest snack companies in the UK, was hit with a ransomware attack in late January, disrupting the deliveries of several popular crisps and nuts brands, including Skips, Nik Naks, Hula Hoops, and McCoy’s crisps.

According to messages sent to local shops and published by industry news outlet Better Retailing, deliveries could face delays and cancellations up until the end of March at the earliest.

“At this stage we cannot safely process orders or dispatch goods,” the letter from KP Snacks explains.

A company spokesperson has confirmed that KP discovered a ransomware attack on Friday January 28.

Max Locatelli, regional director western Europe at Infoblox, the IT automation and security company, said “with each year that passes”, the ransomware threat to both individuals and businesses seems to grow. “As KP Snacks becomes the latest in a long list of high-profile companies falling victim, it’s clear that no one is safe,” he added. “It’s never been more important for businesses to take steps to minimise the ransomware threat and protect their employees and their customers. However, in the majority of cases, this is much easier said than done.”

Locatelli also said that when it comes to ransomware, “business leaders should zero” in on specific protection, “but also zoom out” to secure the entire IT stack. “Achieving full visibility and defending from the network edge will likely be a priority for security teams moving forward,” added. “Leveraging DDI (DNS, DHCP and IPAM) sees DNS security come into play. DNS acting as the security control plane will give organisations the upper hand with a zero day strategy and enable them to protect their networks and their employees from the latest ransomware threats.”