A ransomware attack used to mean one thing: your files were encrypted and your systems stopped working.
That is no longer the whole story.
The reported September 2026 attack involving UK electrical services company Brent Electric is a useful reminder that modern ransomware is usually a data theft and extortion problem as well as an outage problem. The attackers may not only lock your computers. They may copy sensitive information first, then use it to pressure your business, employees, customers and suppliers.
The details of the Brent Electric incident come from ransomware leak-site listings and third-party reporting. They have not been independently confirmed by Brent Electric, so the information below should be treated as reported or claimed, rather than a definitive account of the company’s breach.
Even with that important caution, the lessons are highly relevant to every growing UK business.
The reported Brent Electric attack
Brent Electric was founded in 1996 and provides electrical services, generator sales and custom engraving. In September 2026, the company was reportedly listed by the Akira ransomware operation.
According to attacker claims reported by breach trackers, the information potentially involved included:
- Employee documentation and scans, including driving licences and passports
- Customer files and contact information
- Contracts and agreements
- Financial records
- Project information
- Non-disclosure agreements
- Engineering and operational documentation
Some third-party reporting also referred to thousands of records containing customer and internal corporate information.
Again, these details are based on claims associated with the alleged attack. They are not confirmation that every listed category was accessed or published. However, the range of information described shows why ransomware has become much more serious for smaller and mid-sized businesses.
An attacker does not need to steal millions of records to cause harm. A relatively small collection of identity documents, contracts and financial information can create significant risk.
Lesson one: ransomware is now about data theft too
Many business owners still picture ransomware as a technical incident:
“The computers are locked, but our backups will get us back online.”
That may solve part of the problem. It does not necessarily solve the data theft problem.
Ransomware groups increasingly copy data before encrypting systems. They can then threaten to publish or sell it, even if the victim restores everything successfully. This is often called double extortion: the criminals demand payment for both decryption and silence.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre guidance on ransomware warns organisations to consider data theft and extortion alongside system recovery. It also advises businesses not to assume that criminals will delete stolen data simply because a ransom is paid.
This changes the recovery question. It is no longer only:
- How quickly can we restore our systems?
- Do our backups work?
- How long will the disruption last?
You also need to ask:
- What information may have been copied?
- Whose information was involved?
- Could the data be used for fraud or impersonation?
- Which customers, employees or suppliers need to be informed?
- What are our legal and regulatory responsibilities?
Lesson two: stolen identity documents are not like stolen passwords
Passwords can be reset. Access tokens can be revoked. Accounts can be locked down.
Identity documents are different.
If attackers obtain scans of passports, driving licences or similar documents, the affected person cannot simply “change” their identity in the same way they would change a password. A document may be cancelled or replaced, but the person’s name, date of birth, address history and other identifying details remain relevant.
This can create risks such as:
- Identity theft
- Fraudulent account applications
- Social engineering
- Impersonation
- Targeted phishing
- Misuse of official document details
For a business, this also creates a responsibility to respond carefully. The Information Commissioner’s Office guidance on ransomware and data protection explains that ransomware can involve both a loss of access and unauthorised access to personal data.
If personal information has been compromised, a business may need to assess whether the incident should be reported to the ICO within 72 hours. Where the risk to individuals is high, affected people may also need to be informed.
That process should not be improvised during a crisis. It should form part of your incident response plan.
Lesson three: contracts and financial records help criminals sound convincing
Contracts, invoices, bank details and project records may not seem as sensitive as identity documents. In the hands of an attacker, however, they can become highly useful.
Suppose a criminal has accessed:
- The names of your main suppliers
- Contract renewal dates
- Invoice values
- Payment instructions
- Project managers’ names
- Customer email addresses
- Details of an ongoing installation
They can use that information to create a convincing message pretending to be a supplier, customer or director. This can lead to business email compromise, payment diversion or further credential theft.
A fake email that says “please update our bank details” is easier to believe when it includes the correct project reference, contract value and contact name.
This is why email protection and multi-factor authentication matter, but they are not the entire answer. People also need a clear process for verifying payment changes and unusual requests through a separate channel.
Lesson four: customer data makes the victim circle wider
A breach does not affect only the company that was attacked.
If customer files, contact details, project records or agreements are exposed, customers may face phishing and impersonation attempts. Suppliers and business partners may be targeted too. In some cases, the attack on one organisation becomes the starting point for attacks against several connected businesses.
This is especially important for companies that work in construction, engineering, manufacturing, recruitment, professional services and other sectors where project and customer information is detailed.
Your customers trust you to protect the information they share. That trust is part of your commercial value, not just a compliance obligation.
Lesson five: backups help you recover, but they do not undo data theft
Backups are essential. They can help you restore systems without relying on criminals to provide a working decryption key.
But backups do not reverse exfiltration.
If attackers copied files before encryption, restoring a clean server will not remove those copies from the attacker’s possession. You need both:
- A recovery plan for getting systems and data available again
- A data breach plan for investigating, reporting and communicating what may have been stolen
Your backups should be offline, isolated or immutable where possible. They should also be tested regularly. A backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a recovery strategy.
A practical security checklist for growing businesses
The Brent Electric case, as currently reported, points to several practical steps.
1. Use 24/7 managed detection and response
Ransomware often involves suspicious activity before files are encrypted. A managed security services provider can monitor your environment continuously, investigate unusual behaviour and escalate threats outside normal office hours.
2. Deploy endpoint security with EDR
Traditional antivirus is not enough on its own. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) can monitor laptops, desktops and servers for suspicious processes, privilege escalation, lateral movement and unusual encryption activity.
This is a core part of modern endpoint security for business.
3. Protect email and enforce MFA
Email remains one of the main routes into a business. Use strong email filtering, anti-phishing controls and attachment protection. Enforce MFA for email, cloud services, remote access, banking and administrator accounts.
4. Segment your network
If one device is compromised, network segmentation can make it harder for attackers to move across the business. Keep critical servers, backups, finance systems and operational technology separated where practical.
5. Maintain offline or immutable backups
Follow a tested backup strategy with protected versions and at least one copy that attackers cannot reach from the live network. Test restoration regularly, including a full business-critical recovery exercise.
6. Apply least-privilege access
Employees and suppliers should have access only to the systems and data they need. Review administrator accounts, old user accounts and third-party access regularly.
7. Minimise the data you keep
Data minimisation is a security control. Do you still need every old identity document, contract or project file? Set retention rules, securely delete information that is no longer required and avoid storing sensitive data in unmanaged locations.
8. Consider dark web monitoring
Dark web monitoring cannot remove stolen information, but it may help identify when company domains, credentials or other business details appear in criminal marketplaces. It can provide an early warning that supports password resets, customer notifications and fraud prevention.
9. Work with a managed IT and security partner
Growing businesses should not have to assemble and monitor every control alone. A provider offering managed IT services can combine user support, patching, endpoint protection, backups, security monitoring and strategic advice.
The key is to check what is actually included. Ask whether monitoring is genuinely 24/7, whether backups are tested, how incidents are escalated and who takes responsibility during an emergency.
Key insights from the reported breach
The Brent Electric incident is still based on reported claims, not a complete public investigation. Even so, the main lessons are clear:
- Ransomware is often a data theft incident as well as an encryption incident.
- Identity documents carry long-term risks that cannot be solved with a simple password reset.
- Contracts and financial records can support highly convincing fraud.
- Customer data can turn one victim into a risk for many connected organisations.
- Backups support recovery, but they do not undo data exfiltration.
- Security needs continuous monitoring, not just a one-off installation.
- Your incident plan should cover technical recovery, legal duties, communications and extortion.
The best time to discover a weakness in your backups, access controls or incident plan is during a review: not during a ransomware attack.
If you are unsure whether your business has the right protection in place, contact Picnic IT for a practical conversation about managed security, endpoint protection, backups and reliable managed IT services. A stronger security position starts with understanding what you have, what matters most and where the gaps are.