'It hurts people' | Payroll attack on Sainsbury's & Boots leaves thousands worried for Christmas

Hundreds of thousands of UK workers have been affected by an apparent ransomware attack on a widely-used payroll system, just days before Christmas.

As reported widely, firms such as Boots, Sainsbury’s and Jaguar Land Rover have had their HR and payroll systems impacted by a cyber attack on Kronos, a system used to log, store and process the hours employees have worked.

According to the BBC, Kronos confirmed at the weekend that it was dealing with a ransomware attack on its computer systems.

It warned that it could be "several weeks" before systems are restored fully, and warned told employers to use "alternative business protocols" to ensure their staff get paid on time.