Personal details of A-list customers of luxury organic farm shops, including Jeremy Clarkson, Duchess of York and Sir David Attenborough, leaked after Russia’s ransomware attack on Britain
Russian criminals hacked database of luxury food company Daylesford
Leak came after the company’s company refused hackers’ demand for large ransom payments
Experts warn the hack is ‘a wake-up call’ as cyber-attack concerns mount
Duchess of York, Jeremy Clarkson and Sir David Attenborough’s details leaked
<!–
<!–
<!– <!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
The personal details of the Duchess of York, Jeremy Clarkson and Sir David Attenborough have been leaked by Russian criminals who hacked into the database of luxury food company Daylesford, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The king’s nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto, Tim Henman and snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan are among the other famous clients whose data has been posted on the so-called dark web – a hidden part of the internet used by criminals.
Experts warned the hack was “a wake-up call” amid growing concerns about the Kremlin’s cyberattacks on Britain.
The personal details of the Duchess of York, Jeremy Clarkson and Sir David Attenborough have been leaked by Russian criminals who hacked into the database of luxury food company Daylesford.
Daylesford Organic is owned by Lady Carole Bamford (left), wife of Tory billionaire donor and JCB building owner Lord Bamford (right), and is named after the Cotswolds village where they live
Jeremy Clarkson and Sir David Attenborough are among those whose data has been leaked by Russian hackers
The leak came after the carrier refused the hackers’ demand for a hefty ransom in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
After the failed blackmail attempt, the gang – known as ‘Snatch Team’ – posted personal details and courier receipts showing customers’ home addresses.
Daylesford Organic is owned by Lady Carole Bamford, wife of Tory billionaire donor and JCB building owner Lord Bamford, and named after the Cotswolds village where they live.
The company is said to have supplied food to Boris Johnson during the lockdown, but the former prime minister is not among the customers whose data has been leaked.
Daylesford announced it had been hacked in June 2021, but said no personal information had been compromised.
But since then, the hackers have uploaded a massive 80 gigabyte cache of stolen files to the dark web.
The leaked Daylesford files include purchase orders for wealthy customers, receipts for purchases by Lord and Lady Bamford and sensitive data, including employee complaints, confidentiality agreements and bank details.
In addition to a farm shop on the Gloucestershire estate of the Bamfords – Daylesford House – the company also has four stores in London and an online store.
Experts said hackers likely used a computer virus known as ransomware, hidden in an email attachment, to get into the company’s computer systems. Snatch Team appears to be all Russian, according to a 2019 report from security firm Sophos. They hacked into McDonald’s on February 24 this year, the day Russia invaded Ukraine.
Philip Ingram, former colonel in British military intelligence, said last night: “This cyber attack should be a wake-up call for security services and businesses. Daylesford is exactly the kind of company that would be seen by Russian-based hackers as both a lucrative ransomware opportunity and potential utility for power brokers in the Kremlin.”
Analysts warn that global cyberattacks have increased by 32 percent in the past year. Security firm Acronis said ransomware attacks pose the biggest threat to businesses and governments, warning that damage could exceed £26 billion by the end of the year. Companies are faced with millions of attempts on their computer systems every day.
British intelligence has warned of an increased risk from Russian hackers as a result of the war in Ukraine. The National Cyber Security Center said the ‘cyber threat to the UK continues to mount’.
The Information Commissioner’s Office said: ‘Daylesford Organic has notified us of an incident. After reviewing the information, we provided advice on data protection and closed the case.” Daylesford did not respond to a request for comment.