Delivery company Yodel today confirmed it has suffered a “cyber incident”, after customers complained that online parcel tracking was unavailable and deliveries had been delayed. Yodel has not provided details on the nature of the incident, but one cybersecurity expert told Tech Monitor it is “starting to bear all the hallmarks of a ransomware attack”.
How are Yodel customers being affected?
Yodel said today that the “cyber incident” has caused some disruption to its services, particularly online parcel tracking. At soon as the incident was detected the firm “launched an investigation, led by our internet IT division and supported by an external IT forensics group.”
“We are working to restore tracking as quickly as we can and have engaged with all relevant authorities,” a spokesperson said, adding “Yodel would like to sincerely apologise to their clients and their customers for any disruption this incident may have caused, and reassure them that the team are working around the clock to resolve this incident.”
Is the Yodel ‘incident’ a cyberattack?
Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at ESET told Tech Monitor: “This is usually the first sign of an attack when there is unusual disruption on the website. It is difficult to speculate without them admitting it but this is starting to bear all the hallmarks of a ransomware attack.”
In recent days, customers have taken to social media to complain about the service issues, which Yodel originally put down to “technical issues”. Many complaints concern the lack of tracking on the website, although some reported delays in parcels due to arrive.
As users struggled to track their parcels, or dealt with late deliveries, Yodel’s customer service system also suffered an outage, leaving customers further frustrated. One customer tweeted Yodel customer services: “No parcel delivered yesterday. Can’t Track. No web chat. Just nothing.”
In a statement, Yodel told customers: “We are currently experiencing some technical issues and as a result, our Customer Service team are currently unavailable.
“Parcel tracking is also unavailable via our tracking page and our Yodel app. We are working on resolving these issues as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.”
Read more: Ransomware explained: Here’s what you need to know
