Travelex controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2020
Travelex ransomware attack and service disruption
Issue disclosure
Travelex was affected by a ransomware attack on New Year's Eve and took its global websites offline. Its update said some data had been encrypted, but that the extent was unknown and there was no evidence that structured personal customer data had been breached. The article also reported that online foreign-currency services at several banks were down. Travelex said it had opened an investigation, was working toward recovery, and had restored some internal systems; its CEO apologized for the inconvenience to partners and customers.
Company response
Investigation — Travelex
Travelex has opened an investigation and confirmed in an update that while there has been some data encryption, and the extent is not yet known, there is no evidence that structured personal customer data has been breached.
Remediation — Travelex
Travelex has said it is working towards total recovery after successfully containing affected areas and added that it has managed to restore a number of internal systems.
Apology — Travelex
In a statement, Travelex chief executive Tony D’Souza apologised for the inconvenience to partners and customers.
Source excerpt
London-headquartered foreign exchange company Travelex was forced to take all its global websites offline and is reportedly being held to ransom by the infamous ransomware strain called Sodinokibi, also known as REvil.
After a recent cyberattack on Travelex, a number of the UK’s biggest high street banks have been affected, with Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Barclays among those left with no online travel money services.
More than a dozen of the major banking players, also including Lloyds Banking Group and Virgin Money, are reporting that their online foreign currency systems are down following the New Year’s Eve ransomware attack on Travelex.
2019
Sodinokibi ransomware attack
Beginning on 31 December 2019, a ransomware attack caused Travelex to take websites and mobile applications offline and disrupted technology used by corporate partners. The attackers reportedly demanded a ransom and claimed to have copied customer data. Travelex later said it had found no evidence that customer data had been copied. The incident created prolonged service disruption and reputational damage; reporting stated that the company ultimately paid approximately $2.3 million.