Libraries - New Target of Hackers

The ransomware attack on the National Library of the United Kingdom (British Library, pictured) in October last year disrupted the library's digital systems. It is not expected to be fully restored until mid-April. This raises many questions about the security of digital resources.

The Rhysida attack on the British Library – a repository of millions of books, manuscripts and important documents spanning centuries – is not unusual in a period of rapidly increasing cyber-attacks in the UK. A range of services across the library were shut down as a result of the incident, including access to the library’s online catalogue – described by British Library chief executive Roly Keating as “one of the most important data sets for researchers around the world”.

The group stole 600GB of data, including details about users of the service, and ransomed it. According to The Record, in addition to stealing data and encrypting servers, Rhysida also destroyed servers to prevent system recovery, causing the most serious damage to the British Library. According to experts, cyber attacks are becoming more powerful and disruptive than ever, with the organizations behind these attacks becoming more technically advanced and ready to ruthlessly destroy entire technical systems.

According to Computer Weekly, the British Library admitted that its vulnerability to such an attack was exacerbated by its reliance on legacy applications that were now unfixable, either because they were completely out of date or could not run securely. Many systems would need to be rebuilt from scratch, but on the bright side, the British Library had a golden opportunity to transform the way it used and managed technology and adopt security best practices and implement appropriate policies and procedures.

On a positive note, the British Library has chosen to be transparent after the Rhysida ransomware attack, releasing details of the breach, its step-by-step response (including refusing to pay the criminals’ ransom), and the lessons it has learned to help other organizations plan for and protect themselves against similar cyberattacks. Around the same time the British Library was attacked, Canada’s Toronto Public Library (TPL) suffered a ransomware attack that shut down its computer systems, leaving 1 million books “stuck,” only to be returned to shelves in February. The 100 branches of TPL – the world’s busiest urban public library – are still recovering.

The Internet and digitization of documents may seem to have brought a new immortality to the library and publishing industry… but risks remain. Fire and theft are no longer the only major threats facing libraries and archives.

Cyber attackers now target not only public services, government agencies, businesses, etc., but also large libraries, leading to the risk of editing information and even distorting history.

HAPPY CHI

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