Ransomware Attack Paralyzes Local Haulage Firm

Over 60 local jobs are hanging in the balance following a devastating cyberattack on 'Stoneleigh Freight & Logistics' based on the eastern industrial estate. Hackers infiltrated the company’s servers over the weekend, deploying ransomware that has locked staff out of all routing software, client databases, and payroll systems.

"We have been thrown back into the dark ages, managing a fleet of twenty HGVs using whiteboards and landlines," said Operations Director Sarah Jenkins. "The hackers are demanding a substantial cryptocurrency payment to release our data, which we have refused on the advice of the National Cyber Security Centre." The breach has severely disrupted supply chains for several local supermarkets and hardware stores. Cyber security experts have been drafted in to rebuild the network from backups, but the firm warns it could take weeks to become fully operational again.