Giant Group, the umbrella company that has thousands of contractors on its books, has been targeted29 Sep 2021 16:48
Giant Group, the umbrella company that has thousands of contractors on its books, has been targeted by a "sophisticated" cyber-attack that floored systems and left workers out in the cold, the biz has now confirmed. The attack happened last Wednesday (September 22) and forced the outfit – known to many as Giant Pay – to shut down its whole network, including its phone and email systems, as well as its IT infrastructure. It said last night it was still working on a "technical issue that is preventing us from getting the giant umbrella and giant accounts portals back up and running."
The incident blew up last week when contractors, many of whom work in IT, were unable to contact the company or carry out payroll-related tasks. In a statement issued last night, Giant Group said:
Giant Group was the victim of a sophisticated cyber-attack on September 22nd. International law firm Crowell & Moring immediately put in place a team of experts in the US, UK and Brussels who have been carrying out necessary steps as part of the ongoing investigation.Together, we continue to work with our insurers, the ICO and the NCA on the investigation, alongside a number of other specialist advisers.Giant Group went on to imply that its reticence to share information was down to the nature of the attack, saying it had shared updates as soon as it was advised that it was "safe to do so." At this stage it's not known who is behind the onslaught and the company has not responded to questions over whether the attackers used ransomware. A spokesperson for Britain's National Crime Agency told The Register: "The NCA is aware of an incident affecting Giant Group Ltd and we are working with partners to better understand its impact." The Reg also asked the UK data privacy watchdog and Crowell & Moring for comment. According to reports from irate workers, there are still some discrepancies over pay, which the firm says it hopes – but cannot confirm as yet – to resolve by the end of the week.
The company also confirmed that it had made interim payments to more than 8,000 contractors who are paid for work they do with other companies and organisations via the payroll services provider. It is not clear if everyone who is due money has been paid, or if they have received their full amount.
Sign In
Follow the stocks
