Gone in a Guess: How One Weak Password Dismantled a 158‑Year‑Old Firm
September 30th, 2025
❓What:
KNP Logistics Group (UK, operating 158 years, ~500 trucks) was hit by a ransomware attack by the Akira group after hackers guessed an employee’s weak, internet‑facing password.
Because no multi-factor authentication (MFA) protected that access, the attackers moved laterally, encrypted systems, and destroyed backups and disaster recovery.
The ransom demanded was ~£5 million — far more than KNP could pay. The company lost operations, entered administration, and 700 employees lost their jobs.
⚠️Impact:
Complete operational shutdown (all trucks sidelined) and loss of access to business data.
Destruction of backups meant no fallback recovery route.
Permanent business failure: the company ceased to exist in its prior form.
Broad social/economic harm: 700 jobs lost, local economy affected.
Reputational, legal, and regulatory consequences for survivors or peers (loss of trust, scrutiny over security practices).
Statistical context: 45% of compromised passwords can be cracked within a minute (Kaspersky study)
💡Recommendations:
Enforce strong password policies + breached‑password screening — block weak or commonly used passwords, require long, complex passphrases.
Enable multi‑factor authentication (MFA) for all internet‑facing systems so a guessed password alone is insufficient.
Adopt zero-trust / least privilege models — segment networks, limit lateral movement, verify every request.
Isolate and test backups — ensure backups are segregated, immutable where possible, and regularly restore-tested.
Assume compromise and plan accordingly — build incident response readiness, tabletop exercises, and resilience planning.
Ongoing education and monitoring — continuously review credentials, audit access logs, ensure human error is mitigated.
Read the full article HERE