Marks & Spencer battles operational issues after cyberattack

Marks & Spencer, known for its varied assortment of products, including clothing, food, and home goods, has been dealing with an alleged cyberattack discovered earlier this week.

According to reports, this cybersecurity issue has affected its operations, such as the Click and Collect program. This affected entity has over 1,400 stores worldwide and a workforce of 64,000 people. The company has already announced the cybersecurity problem in a recent press release on the London Stock Exchange.

The company has hired external service providers to help manage and fix the matter, noting that it has been dealing with a cyber crisis for the past few days.

 

Marks & Spencer apologised for the trouble caused by the cyberattack.

 

Marks & Spencer stated that after learning about the event, it made minimal, temporary changes to its operations to protect customers and businesses and apologised to the public for any inconvenience.

Still, storefronts remain open, and internet services continue to operate correctly. On the other hand, the hired third-party service providers are analysing the event and improving network security to continue customer service.

While M&S has not provided specifics regarding the data breach, it has contacted the data protection authorities and the National Cyber Security Centre.

Although M&S shops, online, and applications continue to operate, the attack has caused significant operational issues, particularly with the Click and Collect system. The company recommends clients wait for a confirmation email before visiting its store.

Furthermore, M&S apologised for the inconvenience and informed affected customers that steps were being taken to rectify the difficulties and restore regular service.

No ransomware or other threat actors have claimed responsibility for the attack, and such groups may take time to act as they put pressure on the company for an extortion payment.

However, if ransomware is utilised, there is a risk that data will be taken and used against the organisation to force payment.

Concerned parties have contacted Marks & Spencer for more information on the attack. As of now, the company has yet to provide additional details but assured everyone that it will post updates as soon as new findings emerge.