Hackers have stolen data from a large chain of cosmetic surgery and are threatening to reveal pre-and post-photo patients, among other information.
The Hospital Company, which has a long list of celebrity endorsements, announced the ransomware threat.
It reported that it had notified the Information Commissioner of the violation.
On its darknet website, the hacker community known as REvil said that “intimate photos of customers” were “not a completely pleasant sight”.
It reported that more than 900 gigabytes of patient images had been collected.
The Medical Group, also known as the Turn Hospital Group, claims to be the UK’s largest specialist weight loss and plastic surgery group.
It has 11 hospitals specialized in bariatric weight loss surgery, breast enlargements, nipple changes, and nasal modifications.
Previously, the organization has been marketing itself through celebrity promotions, but it has not been doing so for many years.
Former contestant Big Brother Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace told Zoo Magazine about her breast enhancement operation for The Hospital Party in 2009.
Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona, the shameless actress Tina Malone and reality TV star Joey Essex from The Only Way Is Essex are among the former patients who helped the center.
The Hospital Group said: “We can confirm that our IT systems have been subject to a data security breach. None of our patients’ payment card details have been compromised but at this stage, we understand that some of our patients’ personal data may have been accessed.”
The firm said it had emailed all of its clients about the cyber-attack and contacted people who may have compromised more sensitive information.
It is understood that much of the pre-and post-images would not contain the faces of patients.
One client told the BBC that he was concerned about his pictures and that his data was in the possession of the hackers.
Simon Hails had breast reduction surgery for The Hospital Community.
He said the firm didn’t tell him about the ransom.
He informed the BBC that he had an email from the Hospital Community telling him of a ‘data security incident,’ but no specifics of what has been stolen.
Ransomware is one of the most prolific forms of cyber threat. Usually, hackers obtain entry to a computer network and then encrypt data or lock users out of their networks before the ransom is charged.
More recently, ransomware gangs took a copy of the data and threatened to leak it.
Law enforcement authorities prohibit criminals from paying ransom unless they are fuelling illegal enterprises.
Cyber-security firm Emsisoft reports that the burgeoning form of cyber-crime has won offenders $25 billion (£18 billion) in 2020.
REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, is one of the most active ransomware gangs in the world. Its high-profile victims include the Travelex currency exchange and entertainment law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks.
In September, the Hospital Association announced that surgery demands had risen by 25 percent since 2019.
His chief executive, Tony Veverka, told the ITV News Tonight program at the time that the health issues of Covid-19 have contributed to an upsurge of people seeking to find ways to lose weight.
