Nixon Williams hit by Cyber Security incident

[Lance]

Unlikely haveibeenpwnd looks at password dumps and I don't think that is a significant part of what has been lost here.

I was a customer prior to them having a web portal so they'll not have any passwords for me. HaveIbeenpwned, and other similar tools only look for email address and password combos. So I am reliant on criminals telling me, or Optionis themselves.

[psychocandy]

On a related note (don't know if you have pets) but I can't help feeling my local vets practice is taking me for a bit of ride with their extortionate prices and constant nudging to pay for products/services that I don't feel are entirely necessary.

Then, the other day, I read that more than half of the UK's vets practices are run by 6 venture capital companies.

Explains a lot....

I remember my cat - Kevin. Vets told us one day he was on his last legs had a serious heart problem and needed this medication to keep him going. £30 a month.

The bugger lasted another 10 years - don t think his heart condition was that bad after all!

[Lance]

I remember my cat - Kevin. Vets told us one day he was on his last legs had a serious heart problem and needed this medication to keep him going. £30 a month.

The bugger lasted another 10 years - don t think his heart condition was that bad after all!

cool story bro

[northernladuk]

I remember my cat - Kevin. Vets told us one day he was on his last legs had a serious heart problem and needed this medication to keep him going. £30 a month.

The bugger lasted another 10 years - don t think his heart condition was that bad after all!

You think you are disappointed. Just imagine what Kevin felt. Poor bugger had to suffer another 10 years with you.

[northernladuk]

I was a customer prior to them having a web portal so they'll not have any passwords for me. HaveIbeenpwned, and other similar tools only look for email address and password combos. So I am reliant on criminals telling me, or Optionis themselves.

Or your spam box exploding?

Most likely totally unrealted but I'm getting up to 5 spam mails a day from a Shutterstockmail account that started last week.

[PerfectStorm]

Was it the case that only people using their online portals were affected, so if you went via the old school accountant and spreadsheet route, you may have been spared?

[eek]

Was it the case that only people using their online portals were affected, so if you went via the old school accountant and spreadsheet route, you may have been spared?

Nope, a lot of the files that have been seen don't sound like ones that would be on a public facing portal.

[Lance]

Was it the case that only people using their online portals were affected, so if you went via the old school accountant and spreadsheet route, you may have been spared?

unlikely.
Ransomware gets files on file servers. I would imagine with such a high staff turnover every member of staff had access to every customer's files. Therefore every customers' files are now encrypted and leaked.
Getting into a web service would require a deeper penetration (fnarr) by the hackers. Quite possibly was done, but a web service is likely to be better protected, and maybe pen tested, than a file server.

[Dark Black]

Well, I'm finally gone (or rather in progress of leaving NW). Notice given, signed up with new accountant.

Although I've obviously changed my password on their Vantage portal as soon as it was back up, I've had no contact from NW telling me to change my password. Appreciate the all the files are highly likely to have already been copied, but basic security procedure would suggest forcing a password change as soon as the portal was live again, should be a minimum requirement in order to protect data going forward.

[Fred Bloggs]

Well, I'm finally gone (or rather in progress of leaving NW). Notice given, signed up with new accountant.

Although I've obviously changed my password on their Vantage portal as soon as it was back up, I've had no contact from NW telling me to change my password. Appreciate the all the files are highly likely to have already been copied, but basic security procedure would suggest forcing a password change as soon as the portal was live again, should be a minimum requirement in order to protect data going forward.

In my opinion, it would be a mistake to assume, even now after everything that's happened, that these people are in anyway competent.