BHA believed to be latest organisation to be hit by a cyber attack

The BHA has become the latest organisation to fall victim to a cyber attack, it is understood.

British racing's governing body said on Monday it had begun investigating what it described as an "IT incident" and that law enforcement authorities were among those informed about the event. It said the incident had not affected the delivery of race meetings, which would continue to take place as normal.

The attack is believed to have been identified at the end of last week, and staff based at the BHA's head office in London have been asked to work remotely while the incident is being investigated. That investigation is still in its early stages and it is expected to take some time to determine what has taken place and to restore the BHA's systems.

It is understood the incident currently appears to be limited to the BHA's internal systems and data.

A spokesperson for the BHA said: "We recently identified and began investigating an IT incident. We are working at pace with external specialists to determine what happened in more detail and safely restore our systems. 

"The delivery of racedays has continued as normal and will continue to do so. We have informed our colleagues, core industry stakeholders and law enforcement."

A number of retailers have been hit by similar issues in recent months, most notably Marks & Spencer which is still dealing with a ransomware attack which took place over Easter and is expected to disrupt the company into next month.

M&S has reported that the "highly sophisticated and targeted" attack, which meant that online ordering was unavailable, would cost it £300 million in profits this year.

Operations at Co-op's supermarkets and funeral services were also hit by an attack in April, while Adidas, Cartier and Harrods are among other companies which have been impacted by hackers.

The gambling industry has also been affected by such attacks in the past, with US casino giant MGM Resorts revealing in 2023 it would lose an estimated $100 million after being hacked.

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