British Horseracing Authority shuts London office after IT incident

The British Horseracing Authority said it suffered a data security incident that led to the temporary closure of its London office.

 

The British Horseracing Authority is the regulatory body for horse racing in Great Britain. It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) and the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA).

 

Recently, in a statement shared with the media, a BHA spokesperson said that the organisation is dealing with an “IT incident”. BHA immediately launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

 

“We recently identified and began investigating an IT incident. We are working at pace with external specialists to determine what happened in more detail and safely restore our systems,” the spokesperson said.

 

According to reports, the attack was detected late last week, prompting the governing body to close its London office. Staff were instructed to work remotely while the incident is under investigation. The BHA has also informed the relevant law enforcement agencies and is cooperating with them to resolve the matter at the earliest.

 

“The delivery of race days has continued as normal and will continue to do so. We have informed our colleagues, core industry stakeholders and law enforcement,” the spokesperson added.

 

The attack is the latest case of a company being targeted by cyber criminals. British retailer Marks & Spencer said last month a “highly sophisticated and targeted” cyberattack in April will cost it about £300 million in lost profits.

 

UK-based retail chain Co-op also disclosed a data security incident where threat actors infiltrated the company’s internal network and stole confidential data. 

 

“The accessed data included information relating to a significant number of our current and past members.

 

“This data includes Co-op Group members’ personal data such as names and contact details, and did not include members’ passwords, bank or credit card details, transactions or information relating to any members’ or customers’ products or services with the Co-op Group,” a Co-op spokesperson said.