All the retailers hit by recent cyber attacks as two more become latest victims

Daily Record

a day ago

Marks and Spencers was the first company to get hit back at Easter weekend and now more brands are joining the list.
Cyber attacks have taken yet another hit at high-profile retailers as two more well-known brands have become the latest victims to this online crime. Luxury jeweller Cartier and fashion brand North Face have become the latest victims of cyber criminal reign.
It has been reported that both Cartier and North Face have revealed that customer data was breached - including email addresses and names. However, the firms did also emphasise that no financial information was taken.
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The cases of malware hacks has been increasing over the past few months since Marks and Spencers was attacked back in April. As a result, the company had to temporarily shut down their online shopping, which is still yet to reopen more than a month after the attack.
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This was followed by Co-op being hacked and having to cancel their delivery service. Adidas, Victoria's Secret and Harrods have also joined the list of notable brands that have been victims of cyber criminals.
North Face sent an email out to their customers recently informing them that it discovered a "small-scale" attack back in April this year.
It went on to say that the hackers targeted the company by using a technique called "credential stuffing", which is when crooks try to use usernames and passwords from another data breach in hopes that customers have reused the same password.
It was also noted that some of the hackers may have been able to get access to some shoppers' shipping addresses and purchase history. Those who were affected have been urged to change their passwords.
Luxury brand Cartier also sent out an email which informed shoppers that "an unauthorized party gained temporary access to our system" and that the crooks "obtained limited client information". They also said that no passwords or card details were accessed.
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The firm added: "We contained the issue and have further enhanced the protection of our systems and data."
James Hadley, founder of cyber-security company Immersive, has said that cyber attacks are the "harsh reality" of the retail industry. As luxury and high street brands are "overflowing with customer information", he says they are becoming more of an "easy target" for cyber crooks.
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M&S has still yet to recover properly from the attack in April, with owners saying that their online services are likely to be disrupted until July. Additionally, the company had estimated that this inconvenience will end up costing the company £300million.
Within the breach, hackers managed to gain access to a variety of customer personal data, including names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth. Since the incident, Scottish law firm Thompsons Solicitors have filed a multi-million pound class action suit against the company.
This was followed by the Co-op and Harrods being forced to shut down their IT systems and restrict their internet access to try and ward off further attacks.
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On May 2, a Co-op spokesperson revealed ongoing "sustained malicious attempts by hackers to access" their systems. It also said it was "a highly complex situation" following reports that the same cybercriminals had taken responsibility for both breaches.
At the same time, Harrods restricted access to their sites following an attempt to gain access to their systems. However, the company was able to keep its stores open and continue their online sales.
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At the time, a statement from Harrods said: "We recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised 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.
"Currently all sites including our Knightsbridge store, H beauty stores and airport stores remain open to welcome customers. Customers can also continue to shop via Harrods.com."
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Later on in May, sportswear brand Adidas also disclosed that hackers had been able to steal customers' personal information, which "mainly consisted" of the contact information of people who had been in touch with the help desk.
Again, the brand said that passwords and card details, along with other payment data, had not been compromised.
On its website, Adidas said: "We remain fully committed to protecting the privacy and security of our consumers, and sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern caused by this incident."
Lingerie firm Victoria's Secret was also a victim of a cyber attack, which saw them take down their US website and replace it with a customer notice saying: "Working around the clock to fully restore operations".
Some in-store services were also taken down at the time. However, the company's UK website seemed to be unaffected.