Data leak fears after ransomware attack hits Hong Kong’s Kee Wah Bakery

Privacy watchdog seeks details to assess risks as the company alerts staff, customers and suppliers

A major bakery chain has been hit by a ransomware attack on its internal network, prompting Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog to seek details to assess the risk of a potential data leak.

Kee Wah Bakery, known for its local and Chinese pastries, revealed the incident on Tuesday, after its internal network malfunctioned on Friday last week.

A preliminary investigation found that a ransomware attack had targeted its system, which contains employees’ personal data as well as information related to business partners, online store customers and mobile app members.

But the bakery said it could not confirm whether any data belonging to employees, customers or suppliers had been extracted.

It added that cybersecurity experts had been engaged to prevent further attacks and carry out necessary maintenance and repairs.

“[The] company [has] begun assessing the incident and its impact, which remains under investigation and verification. At present, the company is unable to confirm whether any data has been extracted, or what data may have been involved,” it said.

“[As] a precautionary measure, the company has been contacting employees, affected customers and suppliers to alert them to the incident and advise them [on] the steps they should take in response.”