Red Funnel says it does not believe data was stolen, in a breach of its website security that has meant it has not been able to deal with website bookings since Monday.

A malicious attack on it website knocked its systems out at the start of the working week.

In a statement, Fran Collins, CEO, Red Funnel said: "Our current assessment of the problem suggests that this is a malicious attack designed to strain our operation and bring our systems to a halt. Data theft does not appear to be a motive. 

“While we are still in the midst of resolving the situation, it appears as though several of our internal systems have been corrupted. Notably our booking and timetable management system have been affected, as have some other internal systems.   

"In accordance with best practice, we immediately prioritised our investigation to check for any evidence of personal data leaks and can confirm that we have NOT found any evidence to suggest that any such leaks may have occurred. We also want to reassure customers that customer credit / debit card details are not held within our systems, so customers can remain assured that their card data is never at risk with us."  

Read more: Day three of ferry firm Red Funnel's computer booking problems

Online and telephone bookings, customer account enquiries and automatic NPR (number plate recognition) at check-in, as well as live service status updates, are still unavailable.
 
Fran Collins said: “Since Monday, all passengers who have turned up to travel without a booking have been able to get on their desired sailing, so I’d like to assure our customers that we have not had any issues with supply relative to demand. Again, we advise everyone travelling with us to arrive a little earlier than usual wherever possible.  
 
“We would like to thank our customers and staff for their patience during this time and, once again, we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”