Cyber attacks hit upmarket British retailers including Harrods, Marks & Spencer
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After Marks & Spencer (right) and the Co-op retail chain said they had been targeted by cyber attacks, department store Harrods (left) on May 1 confirmed it had been hit too.
PHOTOS: REUTERS, EPA-EFE
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LONDON – A wave of cyber attacks has hit several British retailers including luxury department store Harrods and upmarket supermarket Marks & Spencer, the businesses said on May 1.
After Marks & Spencer and the Co-op food retail chain said they had been targeted, Harrods on May 1 confirmed it had “recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems”.
Harrods said its security team “immediately took proactive steps to keep systems safe, and as a result, we have restricted internet access at our sites today”.
All its shops, including its flagship Knightsbridge store, were open for business, it added.
It was unclear if the attacks were linked.
Marks & Spencer’s operations have since Easter been hampered by a ransomware sting which has forced the retailer to suspend online sales, contactless payments in-store and even recruiting operations.
Some of its stores were also experiencing shortages of products on the shelves.
“Our experienced team – supported by leading cyber experts – is working extremely hard to restart online and app shopping,” Marks & Spencer said in a statement.
For its part, the Co-op said its security response had led to a “small impact to some of our back office and call centre services”. AFP
