One of the UK’s largest vet groups has told regulators about a possible breach of personal information after it was hit by a cyber-attack.
CVS Group said hackers had gained unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. The company continued to have problems with slow-running systems on Monday after disruption across the UK business. The chain has more than 500 locations around the world, most of which are in Britain, and is one of the big six groups of UK veterinary practices. The largest rivals to CVS include the private equity owned IVC Evidensia, which owns more than 1,000 first-opinion practices in the UK VetPartners, another private equity-owned chain with more than 500 sites; and Pets at Home, the superstore chain that has vet practices in many stores.
The company was forced to shut down computer systems at its practices and in some broader business functions for several days last week, it added. IT services to our practices and business functions have now been securely restored across the majority of the estate; however, due to the increased levels of security and monitoring, some systems are not working as efficiently as previously and this is likely to result in an ongoing operational impact. The company is listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market and was valued at £680m before the hack was disclosed. Its biggest shareholder is the Canadian investor Global Alpha Capital Management.