Even bakeries get hit by hackers

BAKERS are not immune from the hacking epidemic spreading across Europe, a top insurer has warned.

Hiscox boss Bronek Masojada said small businesses faced just as much risk as large ones from cyber crime – but many did not have the resources to combat it.

He said that in one case, a German bakery was targeted by hackers who stopped its machines from working and demanded a ransom. ‘Somebody hacked the bakery and shut it down, and said, “Pay us a ransom otherwise you’re not going to be able to bake bread”,’ the boss said. There have been a string of high-profile cyber attacks in the past few years, including a 2015 case in which criminals attacked telecoms giant TalkTalk and stole more than 15,600 sets of bank details.

Another embarrassing breach saw actors’ pay details taken from Sony, with North Korea believed to be the culprit.

Profits at Hiscox, which covers the ultrawealthy against kidnapping as well as providing reinsurance and insurance for businesses in areas including hacking, rose 64pc to £354.5m last year.

The firm wrote £2.4bn of premiums, up from £1.9bn in 2015.