Ransomware locked up time records for thousands of companies across the country last month, and those records remain unavailable. Ultimate Kronos Group (“Kronos”) is a well-known workforce management platform used to track employee scheduling, attendance, and payroll. On December 11, 2021, Kronos announced that one of its cloud-based time and attendance systems had been exploited by hackers. Kronos has been working to repair the damage and regain system functionality, but in the interim, a complete shutdown has occurred, blocking access to electronic records of employers across the country. While the days lagged on, frustration turned to panic, as Kronos admitted the ransomware attack could render the system inoperable for several weeks as employers scrambled to track employee hours, process payroll, distribute year-end bonuses, and accurately track vacation usage for the holidays.
While employers implemented stop-gap measures, many expressed disbelief that a company of Kronos’ size did not appear to have a contingency plan for its customers, many of whom exclusively relied on the platform for payroll and attendance-related functions. However, ransomware attacks are not a novel threat, and other major businesses were also targeted in 2021, resulting in disruption to critical supply chains. Colonial Pipeline was the victim of a ransomware attack in May that affected the flow of oil all across the country. Just one month later, JBS USA, a large meat-processing vendor, was...
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