Hackers Hid Inside Major UK Water Utility for Nearly 2 Years

ICO Warns Key Security Gaps Led to Exposed Data of Over 630,000 People Chris Riotta (@chrisriotta) • May 11, 2026

A British privacy regulator fined a major water supplier nearly $1.3 million after finding the utility left longstanding security gaps unaddressed across its corporate network, allowing a ransomware intrusion to expose personal information affecting more than 633,000 customers, employees and contractors.

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The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office said Monday it fined South Staffordshire Water and parent company, South Staffordshire, 963,900 pounds following an investigation into a 2022 cyberattack that compromised names, dates of birth, contact information, payment details, online account credentials and limited health-related information. The penalty notice links the breach to a September 2020 phishing attack that installed malware inside the company's corporate network.

"Customers do not ...