The British Library has begun restoring its online services, while still dealing with the consequences of a ransomware attack that took place in October 2023.
Sir Roly Keating, the foundation's Chief Executive, has confirmed that the British Library's main catalogue is returning online today, January 15. This includes details of the library's printed books, periodicals, maps, sheet music and rare books.
“The British Library’s absence from the internet was perhaps the most visible impact of the criminal cyberattack that took place at the end of October last year, and I want to acknowledge how difficult this has been for all of users our,” Keating noted.
See also: Museums on alert after cyberattack on British Library
The catalog will be in “read-only” format, which means that the process for checking availability and ordering for use in the Reading Rooms will be different.
In addition, users will be able to access most of the Library's special collections , which are only available on the website.
In a separate update, the British Library also assured authors and other UK Public Lending Right (PLR) recipients that it has taken care of their payments, which will be made before the end of March 2024
The cyberattack is believed to be carried out by the Rhysida. The attack led to the disruption of phone lines and online services at its main building in London and a separate facility in Yorkshire. Access to digital collections, the website and the digital catalogue were also affected.
See also: Rhysida ransomware behind the attack on the British Library?
Another worrying impact of the ransomware attack was the access to employee and user data.
In an update in November 2023, the British Library warned that full recovery from the attack could take months and, as it seems, this is true.
Keating said, now, that restoring the British Library's catalog is only one step and that fully restoring systems and services will take more time.
The Library continues to work closely with the UK government to ensure that the recovery “is carried out on a safe and financially sustainable basis,” Keating said.
See also: Toronto Public Library cyberattack: Services will resume in January
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Keating added that the Library has begun taking steps to protect its systems so that a similar incident does not happen again.
The ransomware attack on the British Library had a significant impact on its users. First, access to the catalogue and services was disrupted for a significant period of time, which limited users' ability to search and edit information about books and documents held in the library.
Additionally, the attack has raised concerns among users about the security of their personal data. Users' trust in the library's ability to protect their data has been undermined.
Finally, the attack has caused delays in the provision of various library services, such as lending activity or the acquisition of new books. This may have affected both ordinary users and researchers who rely on the library for their work.
Source: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
