Marks & Spencer faced a potential ruinous cyber attack, according to the company’s chairman, Archie Norman. He mentioned that if the attack had occurred during a previous period of struggle, it could have had catastrophic consequences. The retailer had to halt its online operations following the ransomware attack in April, resulting in significant financial losses.
The cyber attack compromised customer data, potentially including personal details like names, email addresses, and dates of birth. It took six weeks for Marks & Spencer to resume online orders for clothing and homeware. The perpetrators, known as Scattered Spider, are speculated to have ties to a group called Dragon Force, consisting of former gamers turned hackers with connections to Asia.
During a testimony to the Commons Business and Trade Committee, Norman refrained from disclosing whether a ransom was paid, citing an ongoing investigation involving UK regulators, law enforcement, and the FBI. The incident forced the company to resort to manual operations not used in decades to ensure business continuity.
The Co-op, another target of the same group behind the attack on Marks & Spencer, swiftly responded to signs of the attack on its IT systems, minimizing the impact. Dominic Kendal-Ward, from the Co-op Group, emphasized the escalating threat of cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated.
The committee chair, Liam Byrne, highlighted the severity of the cyber attack on two prominent British retailers, underscoring the heightened risk faced by businesses. The breach serves as a wakeup call for enhanced cybersecurity measures in the retail sector to prevent future incidents.