Manchester United hackers 'demanding million-pound ransom'

Manchester United
(Image credit: Shutterstock.com / Debu55y)

Manchester United are still suffering the effects of a significant cyberattack that targeted the club earlier this week.

Following last weekend's 'sophisticated' attack, the club has revealed it is still suffering severe disruption to its internal systems, several of which had to be shut down following the incident.

Reports have also claimed that the hackers are demanding "millions of pounds" before they let the club regain full control.

Manchester United said that fan data was unaffected by the attack, meaning subscribers to the club's social media, website and official app should still be safe.

Disruption

The club says it is still to identify both the hackers and their motive behind the attack, but rejected claims that its systems were still in the hands of the hackers. 

The home game between Manchester United and Istanbul Basaksehir went ahead this week as planned, but the disruption caused by the attack meant the club had to make some changes to pre-match procedures, including certifying entry for staff entering Old Trafford.

Other issues caused by the attack are thought to include emails not sending, with the club saying it is hard at work attempting to repair all the damage that has been done.

"Following the recent cyber attack on the club, our IT team and external experts secured our networks and have conducted forensic investigations," an official Manchester United statement said.

"This attack was by nature disruptive, but we are not currently aware of any fan data being compromised."

"Critical systems required for matches to take place at Old Trafford remained secure and games have gone ahead as normal."

"The club will not be commenting on speculation regarding who may have been responsible for this attack or the motives behind it."

Via Daily Mail

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.