A CYBER attack at a Teesside factory could lead to a shortage of popular products such as Hula Hoops and McCoy’s crisps, it has been warned.

KP Snacks, which has a factory in Billingham, has confirmed it was targeted at the end of January and has launched a “cybersecurity response plan”.

However, it has been reported that the firm has warned customers the incident could lead to issues in the supply of products in its range, which also includes Skips, Nik Naks and KP Nuts.

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It is understood workers at the Billingham factory have been stood down following the attack.

According to industry news outlet Better Retailing, KP Snacks has sent messages to shops, warning that deliveries could be delayed or cancelled because of the attack, the disruption could last until at least the end of March, and that it could not safely process orders or dispatch goods.

In a statement, KP Snacks said it is continuing to assess the situation and apologised for any disruption.

“On Friday 28 January we became aware that we were unfortunately victims of a ransomware incident,” a spokesman said.

“As soon as we became aware of the incident, we enacted our cybersecurity response plan and engaged a leading forensic information technology firm and legal counsel to assist us in our investigation.

“Our internal IT teams continue to work with third-party experts to assess the situation.

“We have been continuing to keep our colleagues, customers and suppliers informed of any developments and apologise for any disruption this may have caused.”

Ransomware is a form of cyber attack which locks files and data on a user’s computer and demands payment in order for them to be released back to the owner.

It has been used in a number of high-profile cyber attacks in recent years, including the 2017 attack on the NHS.

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Last year, the head of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, Lindy Cameron, warned of the growing threat of ransomware attacks, saying it “presents the most immediate danger to UK businesses and most other organisations”.

The Teesside factory makes popular snacks including Hula Hoops, Butterkist, McCoys and Skips.

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