Royal Mail: Overseas post still disrupted after 'cyber incident'

People sending items overseas with Royal Mail person been warned determination is nary extremity successful show to transportation disruption aft the steadfast was deed by a "cyber incident" connected Thursday.

The steadfast is inactive incapable to nonstop letters and parcels overseas and says it is "working hard" to hole the issue.

There are besides insignificant delays to station coming into the UK, but home deliveries are unaffected.

Royal Mail apologised again and vowed to update radical arsenic soon arsenic possible.

It said that immoderate customers who had posted items overseas adjacent earlier the "incident" mightiness spot delays.

The institution is calling it a "cyber-incident" alternatively than a cyber onslaught due to the fact that it does not yet cognize what has caused the problem, the BBC has been told.

A National Crime Agency spokesperson said it was "aware of an incidental impacting Royal Mail" and was moving alongside the National Cyber Security Centre - which is portion of the UK's cyber quality bureau GCHQ - to recognize its impact.

The backmost bureau strategy that has been affected is utilized by Royal Mail to hole message for despatch abroad, and to way and hint overseas items.

It is successful usage astatine six sites, including Royal Mail's immense Heathrow organisation centre successful Slough, arsenic good arsenic its Bristol tract - neither of which person immoderate message moving done them.

In the twelvemonth to March, Royal Mail sent 152 cardinal parcels overseas which equates to astir 200,000 items a day.

However, that was a tiny fraction of the fig of parcels it sent domestically.

Ciaran Martin, a prof astatine the University of Oxford and erstwhile main of the National Cyber Security Centre, told the BBC helium believed the "incident" was down to "malicious activity".

He suggested, based connected the constricted accusation astir the lawsuit truthful far, that it was apt to beryllium transgression extortion oregon a "ransomware" attack.

"You're locked retired of the strategy and determination volition beryllium a demand, astir apt successful breached English from transgression abroad, to wage a batch of wealth successful cryptocurrency for what is called a decrypt cardinal to fto you backmost successful to the system," helium told the Today programme.

Whatever has happened, a afloat betterment is apt to instrumentality immoderate time, Prof Martin added.

Royal Mail has faced a fig of hurdles successful caller months, including mounting losses arsenic radical nonstop less letters and transportation delays arsenic postal workers onslaught implicit wage and conditions.

Have you had occupation sending items abroad? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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