24th June, 2022.
Right …
I’ve had my kitchen sink checked by a plumber.
One sent by my landlords.
That’s an upside to renting: you don’t own your property, but don’t have to pay for much in the way of repairs.
He’s managed to confirm that the blockage causing the problem is no more.
I’m grateful.
However, if I need further non-emergency repairs?
Well …
I — and a good chunk of my neighbours, the ones who rent from Clarion Housing — have all had an email from our landlord.
One reinforced by a
message on their website.
They’ve told us “We are currently experiencing IT system issues, which means some of our emails, IT systems and phone lines are not working as normal.”
They tell us “This disruption has been caused by a cyber security incident.”
That “… we are working urgently with our cyber security partner to restore our systems as soon as we can.”
They’re asking residents to not contact them by phone, unless it’s for emergency repairs, and that payment systems are working normally … although it may take a while for balances to be updated …
Right sounds about right.
Frankly, I’m wondering what’s happening.
I think — given it seems to be common, these days — that Clarion’s been hit by some form of
ransomware.
From the little I know, usually, an unsuspecting member — or members — of staff get sent a dodgy email with an attachment that infects their machine: then spreads to other machines on the same network.
And, before you know it? The network’s down.
I’m …
I’m not sure how I feel about this situation.
But? I’m deeply concerned that I and my neighbours being affected by this.
And grateful I’m not immediately affected.
That could so easily change if I need something fixed.
