2.11.17
Hackers steal cache of photographs from prestigious London cosmetic surgery
A London cosmetic surgery clinic’s website is the latest victim of a cyber-attack after hackers have threatened to release customer data after breaching its IT systems on 24 October 2017.
London Bridge Plastic Surgery (LBPS) is located in Marylebone, London and has many high-profile clients. Hackers calling themselves, "The Dark Overlord" have threatened to release the stolen data, which includes photographs, unless an undisclosed ransom is paid. They have reportedly contacted a US based news website The Daily Beast with the following message:
“We have TBs [terabytes] of this shit. Databases, names, everything. There are some royal families in here.”
Using an email address belonging to LBPS, to prove they had access, the hackers sent a cache of photographs of procedures carried out by LBPS. According to the Daily Beast ‘many are highly graphic and close-up, showing surgery on male and female genitalia. Others show apparent patients’ bodies post-operation, and include some faces’. The group further boasted that ‘The world has never seen a medical dump of a plastic surgeon to such a degree’.
The Daily Beast conduced a ‘reverse image’ search in Google which did not return any matches, thereby lending credence to the fact that the photographs were obtained via a private source.
LBPS have confirmed that an attack took place and that the clinic had ‘took measures to block the attack’ immediately after being made aware of the breach but were unable to prevent the data being stolen. A spokesman for the clinic said:-
“We are still working to establish exactly what data has been compromised. The group behind the attack are highly sophisticated and well known to international law enforcement agencies having targeted large US medical providers and corporations over the past year.
“We are horrified that they have now targeted our patients. Security and patient confidentiality has always been of the utmost importance to us. We invest in market-leading technology to keep our data secure and our systems are updated daily. We are deeply saddened that our security has been breached.”
The Dark Overlord has claimed to be behind the leaking of ten episodes of the TV show Orange Is The New Black which were posted online earlier this year after Netflix refused to pay a ransom.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they have been made aware of a data theft from a cosmetic surgery in London and are investigating. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.
Click here to find out how Brett Wilson LLP Solicitors can assist you if you have been the victim of a data leak.
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