Ransomware shuts hundreds of Yum Brands restaurants in UK

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

A ransomware attack forced the parent company of KFC and Taco Bell to close several hundred restaurants in the United Kingdom this week. A government filing posted Thursday says the attack impacted information technology systems. Yum Brands said the attackers took company data, but that there is no evidence customer data was stolen. Around 300 U.K. stores were closed for one day but are now operational. There are more than 1,000 KFC and Taco Bell outlets in the U.K. and Ireland, according to company websites, yet it did not divulge which brands were impacted. Ransomware is used to hold a target’s data hostage until the attacker is paid, though it is not known if Yum paid any money.