South Staffs targeted by cyber-attack

The parent company of South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water has confirmed it is suffering disruption to its IT network after being targeted by a criminal cyber attack.

South Staffordshire Plc reassured customers in both regions that their drinking water supplies are safe and its customer service teams are still operating normally.

“This incident has not affected our ability to supply safe water and we can confirm we are still supplying safe water to all of our Cambridge Water and South Staffs Water customers,” the firm said in a statement.

“This is thanks to the robust systems and controls over water supply and quality we have in place at all times as well as the quick work of our teams to respond to this incident and implement the additional measures we have put in place on a precautionary basis.”

It continued: “We are experiencing disruption to our corporate IT network and our teams are working to resolve this as quickly as possible. It is important to stress that our customer service teams are operating as usual.”

The company said it is working closely with the relevant government and regulatory authorities, including the National Cyber Security Centre, as part of its investigations and will keep customers updated as they continue.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: “We are aware that South Staffordshire Plc has been the target of a cyber incident. Defra and NCSC are liaising closely with the company.

“Following extensive engagement with South Staffordshire Plc and the Drinking Water Inspectorate, we are reassured there are no impacts to the continued safe supply of drinking water, and the company is taking all necessary steps to investigate this incident.”

Meanwhile Thames Water has denied reports it had been targeted by hackers after a cyber criminal group called C10P claimed to have hacked the company’s IT systems and demanded ransom.

Thames reassured customers this was a hoax and apologised for any distress the reports caused the public. The company said: “As providers of an essential service we take the security of our networks and systems very seriously and are focussed on protecting them, so that we can continue to provide you with the services and support you need from us.”

In March at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one water company told Utility Week the frequency of attempted cyberattacks had increased by five to six times.