The full restoration of the online catalog may be completed only by the end of this year
Almost 3 months after a massive cyberattack on the British Library, its representatives said that those responsible have finally begun to restore the library's main online catalog, which contains 36 million records of books, maps, magazines and music scores.
The cyberattack itself, which divided the library's work into "before" and "after", occurred at the end of October last year and was implemented by the hacker group Rhysida, which specializes in ransomware. In November, the library confirmed the theft of personal data of employees and their sale on the Darknet by intruders.
It is noted that while access to the online catalog is provided only in reading mode, and the full restoration of the services of the national library may be completed only by the end of 2024.
The library's Director-General, Sir Raleigh Keating, has apologised to researchers who depend on access to the library's collections but have been denied access in recent months.
The restored online catalog will allow readers to search for materials, but checking the availability of publications and ordering them for work in reading rooms will be carried out in a modified format. Access to many of the library's key collections, including archives and manuscripts, will also be restored, but some of them will require a personal visit to the library.
Sir Keating also noted that there are still many steps ahead to fully restore services, but the process is underway. The library still works closely with the country's National Cyber Security Center, the police, and experts on how to protect against future cyber incidents.
As you can clearly see, sometimes recovering from a ransomware attack can require huge human resources and a lot of time. Do you think the British Library should have paid the ransom demanded by the attackers? It might have done less damage to her finances, resources, and reputation.
Almost 3 months after a massive cyberattack on the British Library, its representatives said that those responsible have finally begun to restore the library's main online catalog, which contains 36 million records of books, maps, magazines and music scores.
The cyberattack itself, which divided the library's work into "before" and "after", occurred at the end of October last year and was implemented by the hacker group Rhysida, which specializes in ransomware. In November, the library confirmed the theft of personal data of employees and their sale on the Darknet by intruders.
It is noted that while access to the online catalog is provided only in reading mode, and the full restoration of the services of the national library may be completed only by the end of 2024.
The library's Director-General, Sir Raleigh Keating, has apologised to researchers who depend on access to the library's collections but have been denied access in recent months.
The restored online catalog will allow readers to search for materials, but checking the availability of publications and ordering them for work in reading rooms will be carried out in a modified format. Access to many of the library's key collections, including archives and manuscripts, will also be restored, but some of them will require a personal visit to the library.
Sir Keating also noted that there are still many steps ahead to fully restore services, but the process is underway. The library still works closely with the country's National Cyber Security Center, the police, and experts on how to protect against future cyber incidents.
As you can clearly see, sometimes recovering from a ransomware attack can require huge human resources and a lot of time. Do you think the British Library should have paid the ransom demanded by the attackers? It might have done less damage to her finances, resources, and reputation.
