Fast Facts

• KNP Logistics, a 158-year-old UK transport company, was destroyed by a ransomware attack in June 2025.
• Hackers from the Akira group gained access by simply guessing an employee’s weak password - no advanced hacking required.
• Backups and disaster recovery systems were wiped, and a £5 million ransom was demanded.
• 700 employees lost their jobs overnight; the company entered administration within weeks.
• Ransomware attacks are rising sharply across the UK, with over 19,000 businesses targeted last year.

The Day the Wheels Stopped Turning

Imagine a company that survived two world wars, the Great Depression, and the advent of the motorcar, falling not to economic turmoil or fierce competition, but to a password so weak it could have been plucked from a child’s diary. That’s the story of KNP Logistics (formerly Knights of Old), a British transport titan whose 500-truck fleet ground to a halt in June 2025 - brought low by a cybercriminal’s lucky guess.

The Akira ransomware group didn’t need digital wizardry. Instead, they found an employee’s account lacking multi-factor authentication and cracked a feeble password. Once inside, Akira’s malware swept through KNP’s systems, locking up vital data and erasing backups, leaving the company paralyzed. The ransom note demanded £5 million - an impossible sum for the storied haulier.

The Anatomy of a Modern Heist

Unlike the cinematic bank robberies of old, today’s digital thieves need only a keyboard and patience. KNP’s collapse echoes similar attacks: in 2023, the US Colonial Pipeline was shuttered after a single compromised password. In the UK, giants like M&S and Harrods have admitted to breaches. The National Cyber Security Centre warns that ransomware gangs now use “ransomware-as-a-service,” letting even low-skilled criminals launch devastating attacks.

According to government surveys, ransom demands in the UK average £4 million, and nearly a third of companies pay up. But payment is no guarantee: some never recover their data, and all become magnets for future attacks.

The Human Factor: Weak Links in the Chain

KNP’s fate underscores a stubborn truth: even the best technology fails if people don’t follow security basics. Research from Kaspersky found nearly half of leaked passwords can be cracked in under a minute. A single “Password123” can be the key to the kingdom, putting hundreds of jobs and lifetimes of work at risk.

The solution? Strong, unique passwords; mandatory multi-factor authentication; and a “zero trust” approach that treats every login as potentially suspicious. Crucially, disaster recovery plans must be tested and backups kept isolated - because when ransomware strikes, the clock starts ticking.

WIKICROOK

• Ransomware: Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts or locks data, demanding payment from victims to restore access to their files or systems.
• Multi: Multi refers to using a combination of different technologies or systems - like LEO and GEO satellites - to improve reliability, coverage, and security.
• Zero Trust Architecture: Zero trust architecture is a security model where no user or device is trusted by default, requiring ongoing verification for all access requests.
• Credential Attack: A credential attack is when cybercriminals try to steal or guess usernames and passwords to gain unauthorized access to systems or data.
• Disaster Recovery: Disaster recovery includes plans and systems that help organizations restore operations and data after cyberattacks, natural disasters, or other crises.