U.K. Retailers Harrods, Marks & Spencer Attacked by Cyber Hackers
Harrods, Marks & Spencer and the Co-op Group in the U.K. have all faced cyber attacks in recent days.
The cyber attacks have been targeting online operations for many of the retailers.
“We recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorized access to some of our systems. Our seasoned IT security team immediately took proactive steps to keep systems safe and as a result we have restricted internet access at our sites today,” said a Harrods spokesperson. “We are not asking our customers to do anything differently at this point and we will continue to provide updates as necessary.”
Harrods, which is owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, said that its Knightsbridge, H Beauty and airport stores remain open and customers can continue to shop via their website.
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At Marks & Spencer, staff were advised to come into work as usual, but around 200 of its agency staff in the East Midlands of England were told not to come in, according to news reports.
“We are really sorry that we’ve not been able to offer you the service you expect from M&S over the last week. We are working day and night to manage the current cyber incident and [to] get things back to normal for you as quickly as possible,” said Stuart Machin, Marks & Spencer’s chief executive officer.
“Thank you from me and everyone at M&S for all the support you have shown us. We do not take it for granted and we are incredibly grateful. Our teams are doing the very best they can, and are ready to welcome you into our stores — whether you are shopping for food or for fashion, home and beauty this bank holiday weekend,” he added.
Richard Home, the CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre in the U.K., said the “disruption caused by the recent incidents impacting the retail sector are naturally a cause for concern to those businesses affected, their customers and the public.”
He added that his organization, which is responsible for supporting companies facing cyber threats in the U.K., continues to “work closely with organizations that have reported incidents to us to fully understand the nature of these attacks and to provide expert advice to the wider sector based on the threat picture.”
He reiterated that the cyber attacks incident should act as a “wake-up call to all organizations” and urged “leaders to follow the advice on the NCSC website to ensure they have appropriate measures in place to help prevent attacks and respond and recover effectively.”
