Ransomware Threat Grips Pick n Pay: Attackers Set Ultimatum for Critical Data Release
Pick n Pay faces a ransomware demand from the BASHE group after suspicious online activity in December 2024. Attackers claim to have accessed vital data and set a 14 January 2025 deadline.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Pick n Pay, one of South Africa’s leading retail chains, has been hit with a ransomware demand announced Thursday, 9 January 2025. This development follows an initial cyber-attack reported on 26 December 2024 by the X account @telcofraudza, which flagged suspicious activities on Pick n Pay’s online systems, raising concerns about a possible data breach at that time.
FalconFeeds.io confirmed today through a post on X that the BASHE group carried out a ransomware attack against Pick n Pay.
The attackers claim to have obtained the company’s data and have set a 14 January 2025/09H00 UTC deadline for the payment of a ransom in exchange for its decryption.
Pick n Pay, operating under the domain pnp.co.za, has earned prominence for its extensive online grocery platform, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking to disrupt services and extort money. The company has not yet issued an official statement regarding the demand, but the cybersecurity community is closely monitoring the incident due to its potential impact on customer data security.
It is astounding that subscription services to a number of notable cybersecurity companies’ Dark Web Intelligence is available on the clear web, yet it appears to not be utilised in many corporate cyber departments.
This situation is all the more striking given the range of monitoring specialists available on platforms such as X, and the expanding role of cybersecurity experts offering real-time alerts and proactive threat intelligence, as demonstrated in this incident. Advanced cyber defense tools are crucial in mitigating attacks on organisations reliant on digital infrastructure.