14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago, the British government announced that farmers in two areas of the country would be allowed to shoot badgers. The measure represents an attempt to tackle bovine TB.
However, activists are not happy with the fact that around 5,000 animals will be culled. If the measure is rolled out across the country, as many as 100,000 badgers might have the same fate.
It turns out that the badgers have an ally. Hackers claim to have breached into the systems of NFU Mutual, the commercial arm of the UK’s National Farmers Union (NFU).
“Since the beginning of May we have exploited vulnerabilities on NFU Mutual systems to allow us to download almost all of their customer files including full financial details, claims and account history. Our access is so complete that we were able to make subtle modifications to the accounts of several people we know are involved in the badger cull,” the hackers stated, according to Earth First!
“As more people are identified as being part of the badger cull we will exploit the details we have on them. We will show the same mercy to their finances that they show to the lives of badgers. We already have plans to use the details we have on some of the more high profile supporters of the cull,” they added.
“This is Bodger and Badger. NFU Mutual bodged their security and so we are now badgering them. Badgers have friends, and those friends are hackers.”
On the other hand, NFU Mutual representatives have told The Telegraph that they haven’t found any evidence to suggest that their systems have been breached.
They highlight the fact that “strong systems and controls” are in place to protect the organization’s networks against such attacks.
VP of NFU, Adam Quinney, says the tactic does not intimidate the rural communities.