Marks & Spencer (M&S), a major British retailer, has informed customers that their personal information was exposed in a recent cyberattack. This follows an earlier announcement in April, when the company revealed it was dealing with a cyber incident that disrupted operations. As a result, M&S shares have dropped by 11% over the past month.
While physical stores remain open, M&S’s online shopping service is still unavailable. In-store customers are seeing empty shelves, with laminated signs explaining that technical issues are affecting product availability.
Marks & Spencer stated that the compromised data may include names, email addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses. However, no payment or card details were stolen, as the company does not store that information. Passwords were also not affected.
The company reassured customers that there is no evidence the stolen data has been shared. Customers don’t need to take any immediate action but will be asked to reset their passwords the next time they log in.
Around the same time, another British retailer, the Co-op, experienced a similar cyberattack. Its IT systems have not been fully restored because of concerns that hackers might still have access. Luxury store Harrods was also targeted in a possibly related attack.
A hacking group called DragonForce claimed responsibility for all three incidents. However, these groups often make false claims, and there is no proof yet that they were actually behind the attacks.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of the UK’s cyber and intelligence agency GCHQ, is working with all affected companies. They are helping assess the situation and advising other retailers on how to stay safe from similar threats.
NCSC said it is too early to tell whether the attacks are linked or part of a coordinated campaign. Investigations are ongoing with support from law enforcement agencies.
