Royal Mail, part of International Distributions Services PLC (LSE:IDS) (IDS), said it has restarted overseas parcel exports from the UK as it continues to wrestle with what it calls a “cyber incident”.
After it experimented with some “operational workarounds” yesterday, the group on Thursday began to process the backlog of parcels that had built up since what is reported to have been a ransomware attack over a week ago.
It was said to be sending “limited volumes” of the backlog currently but called for people to hold back from sending parcels that need to go abroad for now.
Royal Mail said customers could now send overseas letters, while import operations and domestic services were said to remain unaffected.
"Our initial focus will be to clear mail that has already been processed and is waiting to be despatched,” Royal Mail said in a statement yesterday.
While IDS chief executive Simon Thompson insisted to parliament earlier this week that no customer details had been exposed, the company said it is still working with security authorities and external experts “to mitigate the impact”.
Russian-linked ransomware group Lockbit was behind the incident, it was reported last week by the Telegraph, though Royal Mail declined to comment.
The software self-pilots attacks are where cyber ne’er-do-wells attempt to encrypt valuable files and demand payment for their release.
Analysts reckon the crisis-hit company, still in a deadlock with staff and unions over pay and conditions, is on course to swing to a loss for the year to 31 March 2023, thanks to a £745mln loss from Royal Mail.