Capita admits customer data may have been breached during cyber-attack

Capita did not reveal how many customers were potentially affected in the cyber-attack. Photograph: Sopa Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Outsourcing group Capita, which runs crucial services for the NHS and military, has for the first time admitted that hackers accessed potential customer, staff and supplier data during a cyber-attack last month.

The company said its investigation into the attack – which caused major IT outages for clients including local councils – found that hackers infiltrated its systems around 22 March, meaning they had around nine days before Capita “interrupted” the breach on 31 March.