Virgin Active has been the latest victim of a cyber attack, which saw the company having to suspend all online activities for its members.
The company confirmed in a statement that they were made aware of the hit on Thursday. A spokesperson said they had been attacked by “sophisticated cyber criminals.”
As a safety measure, the company suspended all online activities including its app and website. The clubs however, are operating normally, and members have been encouraged to come to the gym. Classes now operate on a ‘first come first serve basis’.
Forensic experts are currently probing the extent of the attack to determine if any information was compromised.
“Our security teams immediately started working with cyber security experts to carefully contain, manage and investigate the cyber-event. Virgin Active has also notified the Information Regulator and is in contact with law enforcement regarding the matter.
“The security of our systems and data is a top priority for us and we are doing everything we can to rectify the situation.”
Virgin Active assured its clients that there was no indication of any data removal from its systems.
World Wide Worx data analyst Bryan Turner said that while they did not know who the hackers were yet, nor their intentions, they were investigating.
World Wide Worx, an independent technology, research and strategy organisation that offers research and strategic services to provide both industry intelligence and strategic insight into the hi-tech economy.
“Once we have more details from Virgin Active’s internal investigation team, we will be able to contextualise it with cybersecurity trends,” he said.
In a Tweet, Virgin Active announced that they have set up a new temporary contact centre with a new number to address any questions members may have.
“We may not be able to process any requests right now, but we will answer what we can and get back to you on any other requests as soon as possible. Give us a shout if you have any questions or chat to your in-club team member when you go in to train”, the said in the post.
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