[UK] Payroll info exposed after cyber breach at Leeds agency IMA

In the UK, IMA - a global marketing agency headquartered in Leeds - has been hit by a worldwide data breach involving the unauthorised access of staff payroll data, Prolific North reports.

The breach has prompted concerns over a “worrying pattern of behaviour” in the handling of financial information.

In an internal email seen by Prolific North, IMA reportedly informed staff that it had suffered a “data security incident” affecting certain internal systems. The breach involved an unauthorised party gaining access to the personal data of former employees, including payroll information.

According to IMA, the incident was investigated in collaboration with cybersecurity experts, data privacy professionals, and law enforcement. The agency claims that the breach did not specifically target IMA and stated that the data was accessed by a bot, with “no trace of human interaction.”

IMA provided a statement to Prolific North, saying it had moved ‘rapidly’ to contain the breach, however, some former staff have reportedly expressed concern about the handling of personal data at the firm.

IMA stated that it conducted a full investigation and contained the impact as soon as possible. In addition, the agency has a data security team ready to respond to anyone who has questions about the breach.

Speaking to Prolific North, Alex Uprichard - managing director at IMA - said, “Despite our proactive security measures, IMA was affected by a data breach last week due to a third-party software issue which impacted multiple companies worldwide,” she said. “We immediately undertook a thorough investigation, collaborating with an array of regulatory bodies, and we are pleased to say this was rapidly contained.

“All relevant parties were notified and whilst we cannot comment on individuals specifically, our data protection team are handling any questions. We will continue to monitor the situation with business operations continuing as normal.”

This response reportedly echoes the email sent to staff, which read, “We have taken swift action to contain the breach and secure our systems. We continue to monitor the situation with business operations continuing as normal.”

IMA told ex-employees in the email that it had notified the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). It reiterated that it recognises the “seriousness of this matter” and that its teams are enhancing security measures to prevent a recurrence.

Source: Prolific North

(Quotes via original reporting)

In the UK, IMA - a global marketing agency headquartered in Leeds - has been hit by a worldwide data breach involving the unauthorised access of staff payroll data, Prolific North reports.

The breach has prompted concerns over a “worrying pattern of behaviour” in the handling of financial information.

In an internal email seen by Prolific North, IMA reportedly informed staff that it had suffered a “data security incident” affecting certain internal systems. The breach involved an unauthorised party gaining access to the personal data of former employees, including payroll information.

According to IMA, the incident was investigated in collaboration with cybersecurity experts, data privacy professionals, and law enforcement. The agency claims that the breach did not specifically target IMA and stated that the data was accessed by a bot, with “no trace of human interaction.”

IMA provided a statement to Prolific North, saying it had moved ‘rapidly’ to contain the breach, however, some former staff have reportedly expressed concern about the handling of personal data at the firm.

IMA stated that it conducted a full investigation and contained the impact as soon as possible. In addition, the agency has a data security team ready to respond to anyone who has questions about the breach.

Speaking to Prolific North, Alex Uprichard - managing director at IMA - said, “Despite our proactive security measures, IMA was affected by a data breach last week due to a third-party software issue which impacted multiple companies worldwide,” she said. “We immediately undertook a thorough investigation, collaborating with an array of regulatory bodies, and we are pleased to say this was rapidly contained.

“All relevant parties were notified and whilst we cannot comment on individuals specifically, our data protection team are handling any questions. We will continue to monitor the situation with business operations continuing as normal.”

This response reportedly echoes the email sent to staff, which read, “We have taken swift action to contain the breach and secure our systems. We continue to monitor the situation with business operations continuing as normal.”

IMA told ex-employees in the email that it had notified the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). It reiterated that it recognises the “seriousness of this matter” and that its teams are enhancing security measures to prevent a recurrence.

Source: Prolific North

(Quotes via original reporting)