Southern Water: Hampshire customers told data stolen in "cyber attack" as water company apologises

The company, which provides water and wastewater services to millions of people across the South East, announced on Monday, February 12, that data from a "limited part" of its server was impacted by an "illegal intrusion" into its computer systems. The discover followed an investigation into suspicious activity which was launched last month.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: "We are very sorry that this has happened. We continue to work with our expert technical advisers to confirm whose data is at risk. Our initial assessment is that this is the case for some of our customers and current and former employees. We have engaged leading independent cybersecurity experts to monitor the “dark web”. They continue to report to us that, since we were named on the cyber criminals’ site on 22 January 2024, they have found no new evidence of the data potentially involved in this cyber incident being published online. They will continue to carry out their checks for as long as is necessary. We take data protection and information security very seriously and, in accordance with our regulatory obligations, we are making contact with anyone whose personal data may be at risk.

"Based on our forensic investigations so far, which are ongoing, we are notifying in the order of 5 to 10 percent of our customer base to let them know that their personal data has been impacted. We are also notifying all of our current employees and some former employees. These notifications include security advice, as well as guidance on recommended precautionary steps and details of the support we are offering them. This support includes enhanced Experian credit monitoring, free of charge, for the next 12 months. The service provides active monitoring which can detect and help prevent fraudulent misuse of personal information."

The water services provider has been working with Government, regulators and the National Cyber Security Centre. The police force and the Information Commissioner's Office have been notified. Further updates will be posted on the Southern Water website. If you have specific questions relating to the cyber incident, you can call 0330 303 0025.