UK Gun Owners May Be Targeted After Rifle Association Breach

The National Smallbore Rifle Association (NSRA) has warned members of possible follow-on fraud and cybercrime after its IT systems were breached.

The association is currently working with the UK’s South East Regional Organised Cybercrime Unit (SEROCU) after the attack, which it revealed last Friday.

“All our IT systems are fully operational, no funds have been lost and we will communicate fully to our members on the conclusion of the police investigation. We can confirm that this attack has not affected the membership portal, which remains secure,” the NSRA explained in a statement.

“This attack has targeted legacy servers that contain working documents, not a full database. At this time, we cannot say exactly who this affects as we have no access to the servers.”

Read more on cyber-threats to gun owners: UK Gun Owners’ Data Exposed.

However, while more information was not forthcoming, the NSRA urged members to at least update their account passwords.

“Cyber-criminals sell and trade stolen data, which may increase the risk of attempted fraud and cybercrime against those involved. Criminals will often try and impersonate the original organization through phishing emails or cold calls, making fake offers to help, or may even impersonate the police pretending to be investigating the breach,” it explained.

“Be wary of unsolicited or unexpected contact and attachments to emails which may contain computer viruses. Take the time to try and validate the sender – real police officers will never have a problem with you verifying their identity.”

Reports have warned that should data on gun owners fall into the wrong hands, it could be used by criminal gangs to target their properties for weapons, which are difficult to get hold of in the UK and therefore potentially valuable.

Back in September 2021, similar alarm bells were sounded after the personal information of 100,000 UK gun owners was leaked online, including details on home addresses where firearms were believed to be stored.