The British Library Cyberattack: A Wake-Up Call for Everyone

If you want a real-world example of why ignoring legacy systems is a terrible idea. Look no further than the British Library’s ransomware. We’re talking about the old stuff, the systems that predate the cloud, running on operating systems that vendors have long forgotten. These are the skeletons in the IT closet that everyone hopes will just keep running.

It wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill breach—it was a complete infrastructure meltdown that exposed everything wrong with how organizations manage aging technology and hope isn’t a strategy. It’s the kind of story that sounds like a fluke until you dig into it and realize it’s a warning—one that’s been blinking red for years.

The Attack: A Disaster in Slow Motion

What happened at the British Library wasn’t flashy. No zero-day exploit or genius hacker movie moment. On October 28, 2023, they were hit by the Rhysida ransomware gang. The attackers had been inside for days, scouting, mapping, and waiting. Then, they struck—600GB of exfiltrated, servers encrypted, and critical services ground to a halt including researchers being locked out for months. Even up to this day in Feb 2025, they have not fully restored all services.

The kicker? The attackers reportedly got in through a Terminal Services server installed in 2020. Not ancient, but old enough to be vulnerable. And once they were in, the Library’s tangled mess of legacy systems made their job easier. The attack spread fast because the network wasn’t designed with modern security threats in mind.

The Library’s own report said their “complex and diverse technology estate, including many legacy systems,” made the attack worse. It wasn’t just one weak link; it was a whole chain of them

This isn’t just the British Library’s problem. Most organizations have outdated systems limping along in the background, patched together with temporary fixes. And every one of them is a ticking time bomb.

The Real Villain: Legacy Infrastructure

The fundamental issue here isn’t just that old systems exist—it’s that they were never built for today’s security landscape. Back when they were designed, the idea of sophisticated ransomware attacks or zero-day exploits wasn’t even on the radar and definitely not a gang with a business model.

Most legacy networks prioritize efficiency over resilience. Data gets stored wherever it’s needed, rather than where it’s safest. Systems are interconnected in ways that create unintentional attack paths. Once an intruder finds a weak spot, they can move laterally with minimal resistance.

And let’s be honest: Upgrading legacy systems isn’t fun. It’s expensive, disruptive, and usually deprioritized in favour of shinier projects. Until an attack like this happens. Then suddenly, everyone wants to talk about cybersecurity budgets.

So why does this keep happening? The real answer is simpler: we’re building defences on sand, with bolted on modern security on top, but it’s still a house of cards if the foundation’s weak. The Library’s cloud systems held up in this attack because they’re built differently—patchable, scalable, secure by design. The old stuff? were a liability begging to be exploited.

Ransomware: The Business Model That’s Thriving

Ransomware has mutated into a multi-headed beast, and governments rightly view it as a major threat. Ransomware isn’t just about locking up files anymore. Attackers know that even if you have backups, they can still extort you by threatening to leak sensitive data. They don’t just want your money—they want leverage.

The UK government is considering banning ransomware payments, a move designed to starve the criminals, cut their cash flow because they have made over $1 billion globally in 2023 alone by stealing data, selling it, and then using it for fraud. The logic is clear: why feed a beast that will bite you again!

Nevertheless, it is a bold step by the Government as none of this is petty crime when it can shut down a country. However, it has complications. Organizations might end up caught between paying because it is the only way to get back online fast verses refusing to pay and suffering irreversible damage. A ban might work long-term, drying up the profits of threat-actors, but short-term?

The real solution is prevention, hardening the systems so paying is not even an option, rather than correction by outlawing payments.

An “intelligence-driven defence” is required, meaning, moving beyond basic security measures, and adopting a proactive approach with gathered intelligence on potential threats, analyses of vulnerabilities, and automated incident response plans. Intelligent enough to think like an attacker: understand their motivations, tactics, and tools and constantly monitoring the systems for suspicious activity to prevent security breaches.

Cyber Resilience: It’s More Than Just Buying Security Tools

Here’s what needs to happen if organizations want to avoid being the next British Library.

Legacy Systems Need to Go

Every organization should be mapping out its IT infrastructure and identifying weak points. If you’ve got old, unsupported systems, you have two choices: secure them properly or replace them. Anything else is asking for trouble.

Simplify and Harden Networks

The more complex your infrastructure, the harder it is to secure. Reduce attack surfaces by eliminating unnecessary systems, centralizing security controls, and ensuring that old applications don’t have open doors for attackers.

Continuous Monitoring is Non-Negotiable

Attackers were inside the British Library’s network for three days before launching their main attack. That’s plenty of time for an organization with real-time monitoring to catch suspicious activity and shut it down. If you’re only doing periodic security assessments, you’re flying blind.

Security Has to Be Built-In, Not Bolted On

Security can’t be an afterthought, bolted on like a spare tire. Bake it in—zero-trust setups, strict identity controls, simpler networks. The Library’s redesigning with security at the core; that’s the model. Reduce the sprawl, cut the weak spots, make it hard for attackers to roam.

Rethink Incident Response

The British Library activated its crisis plan quickly, but by the time they did, the damage was done. A strong response plan isn’t just about what you do after an attack—it’s about being prepared to isolate it down before it spreads.

Change the Culture

Employees need training to recognize phishing attempts, avoid credential compromises, and report anomalies. Security awareness should be part of the company’s DNA, not a one-time training module.

The Bigger Picture: What Happens When Critical Infrastructure is the Target?

If an attack on a library can cause this much disruption, imagine what happens when it is the power grid, a hospital system, or a transportation network. The UK governments has warned of potential cyberattacks on critical infrastructure that could leave millions without power and cost the economy billions.

We have already seen real-world examples that demonstrated malware can flip real switches, like the 2015 Ukrainian power grid attack that cut electricity to 230,000 people. If attackers decide to go after critical UK infrastructure, are we ready? Right now, probably not.

The Bottom Line

The British Library’s attack is a warning shot but it is good to see that they are just not recovering, they’re rethinking and others can learn from them.

The government’s ban might nudge things along, but the real shift is on us—businesses, IT teams, even the guy clicking emails. Ransomware’s not going away, and neither are the threats to the grid. Surviving them means facing the boring truth: our oldest systems are our biggest risks.

The Rhysida gang didn’t wait for the Library to figure it out. Neither should you. Fix it now—because the cost of waiting is a lot more than downtime.

Make no mistake—the next attack is coming. The only thing we control is how prepared we are when it does.

Category: Cyber Risk

Legacy IT Systems: A Cyber Disaster Waiting to Happen