Snack fans could have to miss out on some of their favourite brands after a cyber attack on one of the country's top manufacturers.
According to a report in The Mirror KP Snacks has warned retailers to prepare for late or cancelled orders which will run at least until the end of next month.
And some had said they were introducing limits on the affected products to ensure they could manage their stock appropriately.
KP Snacks makes a range of products from McCoy's, Discos, Frisps and Tyrrell's crisps to Pom Bears, popchips, Skips and Nik Naks.
It is probably best known for its KP Nuts but its snack lines cover many other varieties including Butterkist popcorn and Choc Dips.
The firm has confirmed there had been an incident and said it was taking action.
A company spokesperson told The Mirror that the ransomware attack was discovered on January 28.
KP Snacks said: "As soon as we became aware of the incident, we enacted our cybersecurity response plan and engaged a leading forensic information technology firm and legal counsel to assist us in our investigation.
"Our internal IT teams continue to work with third-party experts to assess the situation.
"We have been continuing to keep our colleagues, customers, and suppliers informed of any developments and apologise for any disruption this may have caused."
According to messages sent to local shops and published by industry news outlet Better Retailing deliveries could face delays and cancellations up until "the end of March at the earliest".
Nisa said it was introducing ordering caps in order to “manage what stock we do have”.
What is a ransomware attack?
Ransomware gains access to a computer the same way as any kind of virus - often through getting the user to open an infected email, access a compromised website or install an infected program.
Once inside a computer it can work in a several different ways. One of these is to bombard users with adverts, indecent images or bogus warnings until they pay to have them removed.
Alternatively, it can lock users out of one or more parts of their PC until they pay to have access restored. Sometimes it does this by mimicking an official warning from a government agency or police force.
Finally, personal or important files can be removed from the host PC as part of an attack, with the information then encrypted and threatened with deletion.
Those hit by the cyber attack will often be asked to pay cash, often thousands of pounds - and according to Brian Kennedy from US security consultancy iSight even handing over the payment won't guarantee you'll regain control of your device or files.
"Some ransomware operators will refuse to unlock your device even after you've paid, and demand more money or attempt to defraud you by other means with the financial information you've provided them," Kennedy added.
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