The UK postal and parcel delivery company, Royal Mail, has been unable to give a date for when its international operations will resume as it remains locked in a stand-off with hackers.
The cyberattack could potentially end in a large-scale leak of company information.
Had you posted a Valentine's card in the UK earlier this week, you wouldn't have noticed any difference in the level of service.
But the hackers severely affected the international operations of the UK's main postal service last month and it has since been scrabbling to find workarounds to the problem.
People in the UK remain unable to send packages abroad from post offices across the country, while international deliveries may “take slightly longer than usual”, Royal Mail warned online.
"At this time, we are unable to process new Royal Mail parcels and large letters requiring a customs declaration purchased through Post Office branches. We are working hard to resume more services through Post Office branches and will provide further updates on these as soon as possible," the company said.
Who carried out hack attack?
The LockBit ransomware cartel, which is suspected of having roots in Russia, earlier this month confirmed the January 10 attack on Royal Mail.
It then threatened to release data stolen from Royal Mail's systems if a £65.7 million ($79.25 million) ransom was not paid by February 9.
When that date came and went, it seems LockBit then released a transcript of conversations on the dark web between it and the Royal Mail's negotiator.
LockBit came up with the ransom figure, claiming it was 0.5 per cent of the company's revenue.
It said the ransom would be far less than any potential fine that would be slapped on Royal Mail if it allowed its data to be made public.
Under EU data protection laws, which have been retained in the UK since Brexit, companies can be fined up to 4 per cent of their annual revenue if they lose personal data.
“As long as we haven’t published any of your files, you can’t be fined,” the LockBit hacker said.
However, this drew an angry response from Royal Mail's negotiator, who claimed LockBit had confused Royal Mail's revenue with that of its parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS).
“All we have had is losses," the negotiator wrote, pointing LockBit towards online articles written about financial losses and jobs cuts at Royal Mail.
“Under no circumstances will we pay you the absurd amount of money you have demanded."
Ransomware groups will often edit, tweak or fabricate parts of the negotiations they release, so it is not possible to confirm that part or all of the conversation logs are genuine.
Royal Mail has yet to officially confirm that LockBit breached its defences, encrypted its data and is now holding it to ransom.
"As there is an ongoing investigation, law enforcement has advised that it would be inappropriate to make any further comment on this incident,” a Royal Mail representative told The National.
“It is rare for the details of ransomware negotiations to find their way into the public domain. Those responsible for company cyber breach plans must learn lessons from them," said David Bicknell, Principal Analyst at GlobalData.
“Instead of negotiations being opaque, companies now have an unexpected insight into how ransomware groups’ minds work and how a negotiation might play out. They can also plan for the extent of a ransomware demand. LockBit demanded a ransom figure Royal Mail could not countenance paying."
"No-one will reasonably expect a company board to authorize a ransom payment of $80 million, unless the accountants said it was necessary to safeguard the business’s future."
“Boards must understand that ransomware could be a potential wrecking ball to their business. The time to develop an anti-ransomware strategy and enlist the help of cyber experts is before an attack happens.”
Ransoms paid?
LockBit has previous form in this area. Disruption caused by a ransomware attack on financial data firm ION Group late last month is continuing to be felt.
The incident impaired the ability of many City of London traders to do their jobs effectively and was still having a knock-on effect on the commodity derivatives operations of the exchange company Euronext a week later.
On Friday, February 3, the day before LockBit had threatened to release ION data, a spokesman for the hackers told Reuters that a ransom had been paid by a “very rich, unknown philanthropist”.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Match info
Manchester United 1
Fred (18')
Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')
The five pillars of Islam
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
8.50pm: Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
9.25pm: Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections
6.30pm: Final Song
7.05pm: Pocket Dynamo
7.40pm: Dubai Icon
8.15pm: Dubai Legacy
8.50pm: Drafted
9.25pm: Lucius Tiberius
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
GRAN%20TURISMO
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