Supply of Hula Hoops, McCoy under threat as KP Snacks confirms cyber attack

The company has sent a letter to partner stores saying the ransomware attack, which has crippled its IT and communications systems, could lead to supply issues until “the end of March at the earliest” as it “cannot safely process orders or dispatch goods”.

The warning message, sent out through the groceries wholesaler Nisa, said KP Snacks was going to limit the size of orders to retailers so it could “manage what stock we do have”, reports said.

On contacting KP Snacks, the maker confirmed that they became the victims of the attack last week.

"On Friday, 28 January we became aware that we were unfortunately victims of a ransomware incident," KP Snacks spokesperson said.

"As soon as we became aware of the incident, we enacted our cybersecurity response plan and engaged a leading forensic information technology firm and legal counsel to assist us in our investigation. Our internal IT teams continue to work with third-party experts to assess the situation.

"While this is causing some disruption to our manufacturing and shipping processes, we are already working on plans to keep our products stocked and on shelves. We have been continuing to keep our employees, customers, and suppliers informed of any developments and apologise for any disruption this may have caused," said the spokesperson.

As per reports, the hackers are threatening to release information stolen from the company’s IT systems in order to try to force it into making a payment to decrypt its files to continue operations.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned that even if firms pay up “there is no guarantee that you will get access to your computer, or your files”.

In December, the Spar wholesaler and store operator James Hall was also hit by severe IT issues after a cyber-attack affected more than 600 independent and centrally owned Spar stores across the north of England, forcing many to close temporarily.