(The Minister of State for
Security): On 3 June, Brussels-based scientific
testing company Eurofins Scientific reported that they had been
victim to a global ransomware attack. In the UK, its subsidiary
Eurofins Forensic Services (EFS), who are a significant private
sector forensic testing provider was affected.
Ministers have been briefed on the situation by operational leads
and a range of actions have been taken to mitigate the impact on
our criminal justice system and the public.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) have taken the operational
command of the criminal investigation in the UK, with the
National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) leading our cyber response.
Both the NCSC and NCA have deployed specialist officers to
Brussels to assist Eurofins in the international investigation.
These experts continue to work closely with both the company and
the Cyber Incident Response firm EFS have employed to contain the
situation. The affected UK law enforcement agencies reported the
incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office. There is no
evidence to date that this crime was specifically targeting the
UK company.
We have taken immediate steps to minimise the impact of this
crime on the criminal justice system. The National Police Chiefs’
Council (NPCC) suspended use of EFS immediately and isolated
police networks from the forensic service provider to retain
their integrity. The NPCC put in place the National Contingency
Plan and diverted urgent and priority submission to alternative
suppliers. Other forensic submissions are being managed
nationally to ensure that sufficient capacity is available for
all forces.
These measures are temporary but will remain in place for as long
as necessary. The NPCC, the UK Accreditation Service and the
Forensic Science Regulator are working closely with the company
to assess when it can continue to resume accepting forensic
submissions.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is working to ensure all
hearings remain based on reliable evidence. While investigations
are ongoing, prosecutors will assess the impact on a case by case
basis working closely with partners across the CJS and EFS.
If prosecutors or the police believe that there may have been an
impact, they will contact the victims or witnesses involved. But
if any victims are concerned, national support services are also
available. These include the 24-hour Victim Support Headline with
details on the Ministry of Justice website. However, I want to
stress that at present we have no reason to believe there has
been an impact on the forensic evidence tested by EFS.
The serious nature of this incident highlights the importance of
all firms being cyber aware; and we urge businesses of all types
and sizes to follow the guidance on this growing threat on the
NCSC’s website.
The Government continues to assess and enhance our cyber security
capabilities and it is vital we build strong defences – and every
person, organisation or business has a part to play.
The investigation into this serious cyber-attack remains live but
we will use our understanding of this latest incident to limit
future harm to the UK.
