How One Bad Password Ended a 158-Year-Old Business

KNP Logistics Group, formerly Knights of Old, had operated for 158 years before a single weak password brought the business to its knees in June 2025. According to the report, hackers from the Akira ransomware group gained access by guessing an employee’s password, bypassing the need for phishing or zero-day exploits. Once inside, they encrypted data, destroyed backups and disaster recovery systems, and demanded an estimated £5 million, which the company could not pay.

The incident left operations paralysed, with every vehicle sidelined and 700 employees losing their jobs as KNP entered administration within weeks. The crisis has been described by insurers’ cyber crisis teams as “the worst-case scenario” for any organisation. The piece situates the event within broader UK ransomware trends, noting that 19,000 UK businesses suffered such attacks last year and highlighting the ongoing risk posed by weak credentials even for long-established firms.