Clarkson acknowledged that some of the stolen data might be made public, it hasn't released any additional information because of the continuing law enforcement probe. According to the material that the company has released, cybercriminals have blackmailed it, demanding a ransom to prevent the company's data from being leaked online. Clarkson claims that in order to get into the systems of the massive shipping company, the hackers managed to breach one user account. The affected consumers and people have been notified by the company, which has disabled the account following the occurrence.

Clarksons PLC, a leading global shipbroking company, suffered a targeted cyber attack between May 31, 2017, and November 4, 2017, where an unauthorized third party infiltrated its systems via a single compromised user account in the UK. The attacker exfiltrated highly sensitive personal and financial data—including dates of birth, contact details, medical records, tax/insurance information, social security numbers, resumes, driver’s licenses, bank/payment card details, passports, ethnicity, digital signatures, financial records, and criminal backgrounds—before demanding a ransom for its return. Clarksons refused to negotiate, risking public exposure of the stolen data. The breach triggered an immediate 5% drop in stock value, signaling severe reputational and financial damage. Forensic investigations confirmed the attack’s scope, with the company engaging cybersecurity specialists to mitigate fallout. The incident underscored vulnerabilities in Clarksons’ data protection measures, exposing both employees and clients to identity theft, fraud, and long-term privacy risks.