Latest news with #PaulFoster
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Daily Record
M&S advert banned by watchdog for promoting 'unhealthily thin' model
The fashion advert has been pulled following criticism from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA.) M&S has come under fire for an online fashion advert. It has since been pulled following criticism from the UK's advertising watchdog. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) deemed it was "irresponsible" for M&S to utilise the image in question to advertise its clothes on its mobile app, as it showed an "unhealthily thin" model. Condemning the ad, the ASA advised that the model, wearing slim-fit trousers and a white top, "appeared thin and she wore large pointed shoes which emphasised the slenderness of her legs". It also observed the camera angles made the model's head appear disproportionate and "highlighted her small frame", reports the Mirror. The ASA determined: "Therefore, we considered that the pose of the model and the choice of clothing meant the ad gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin". Following the prohibition, Marks and Spencer expressed remorse for any distress caused and swiftly removed the image. A representative for the retailer stated: "Our womenswear sizing ranges from size 8 to 24 and we always want to reflect that in our advertising." They added: "The product images on our website feature models of varying sizes so we can appeal to all our customers, however following the ASA guidance, we have removed this particular image from our website and apologise for any offence caused." Whilst three additional images were flagged to the ASA by worried shoppers, the authority did not deem these to be in breach, therefore no further action against the high street giant was pursued. It comes as four individuals have been apprehended by the police in connection with cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op, and Harrods. The arrests encompass three teenagers – a 17 year old British lad from the West Midlands, a 19 year old Latvian man also from the West Midlands, a 19 year old British chap from London – and a 20 year old British woman from Staffordshire. The suspects were taken into custody on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, offences related to the Computer Misuse Act, and involvement in the activities of an organised crime group. All four remain in custody. Paul Foster, who leads the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, commented: "Since these attacks took place, specialist NCA cybercrime investigators have been working at pace and the investigation remains one of the agency's highest priorities." He continued: "Today's arrests are a significant step in that investigation but our work continues, alongside partners in the UK and overseas, to ensure those responsible are identified and brought to justice." Following the cyber attack, which occurred over the Easter weekend and disrupted contactless payments in stores as well as click and collect orders, M&S had to temporarily close its online shop. It was subsequently revealed that customer data was compromised, including names, email addresses, physical addresses, and dates of birth; however, card or payment details were not affected. The head of M&S provided an update last week, stating that the remainder of its online operations should be back up and running by next month. The supermarket began to resume online orders in June, but some services are yet to return to normal. For instance, customers are still unable to place orders for click and collect or next day delivery. Furthermore, M&S is not currently delivering to Northern Ireland. Stuart Machin, CEO of M&S, anticipates these services will be fully operational from August. Addressing shareholders at the retailer's annual general meeting, he stated: "Since these attacks took place, specialist NCA cybercrime investigators have been working at pace and the investigation remains one of the Agency's highest priorities."
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
M&S handed mobile ad ban after using 'unhealthily thin' model
An advert by Marks & Spencer has been banned because of the model's appearance (Image: PA) A Marks and Spencer advert has been banned after the featured model was judged to be "unhealthily thin". The UK's advertising watchdog has ruled that it was "irresponsible" for M&S to use the image in question to promote its clothing on its mobile app. The Advertising Standards Authority criticised the ad, stating that the model, dressed in slim-fit trousers and a white top, "appeared thin and she wore large pointed shoes which emphasised the slenderness of her legs". The ASA's decision also noted that the camera angles made the model's head seem disproportionate and "highlighted her small frame". The ASA concluded: "Therefore, we considered that the pose of the model and the choice of clothing meant the ad gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin". The company is still recovering from a damaging cyber attack (Image: PA) In response to the ban, Marks and Spencer expressed regret for any upset caused and promptly withdrew the image. A spokesperson for the company commented: "Our womenswear sizing ranges from size 8 to 24 and we always want to reflect that in our advertising." They continued: "The product images on our website feature models of varying sizes so we can appeal to all our customers, however following the ASA guidance, we have removed this particular image from our website and apologise for any offence caused." While three additional images were brought to the attention of the ASA by concerned consumers, the authority did not find these to be in violation, thus no further action against the retailer was taken. It comes as four people have been arrested by police investigating the M&S, Co-op and Harrods cyber attacks. The arrests include three teenagers - a 17-year-old British man from the West Midlands, a 19-year-old Latvian man from the West Midlands, a 19-year-old British man from London - and a 20-year-old British woman from Staffordshire. The individuals were detained on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, offences linked to the Computer Misuse Act and participating in the activities of an organised crime group. All four people remain in custody. Paul Foster, head of the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, said: 'Since these attacks took place, specialist NCA cybercrime investigators have been working at pace and the investigation remains one of the agency's highest priorities. 'Today's arrests are a significant step in that investigation but our work continues, alongside partners in the UK and overseas, to ensure those responsible are identified and brought to justice.' M&S was forced to shut down its online store following the cyber attack, which happened during Easter weekend and affected contactless payments in stores, as well as click and collect orders. It was later confirmed that customer data, including names, email addresses, addresses and dates of birth - but it does not include card or payment details, was stolen. The boss of M&S last week issued an update, and said the rest of its online operations will reopen by next month. The supermarket started resuming online orders in June but some services are still not back to normal. For example, you still cannot place an order for click and collect or next day delivery. M&S is also still is not delivering to Northern Ireland. Stuart Machin, CEO of M&S, expects these services to be fully restored from August. Speaking to shareholders at the retailer's annual general meeting, he said: "Since these attacks took place, specialist NCA cybercrime investigators have been working at pace and the investigation remains one of the Agency's highest priorities.
Fashion United
11-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Four youths arrested for cyberattacks on British retailers
The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has arrested four suspects in connection with cyberattacks on well-known British retailers Marks & Spencer (M&S), Co-op and Harrods. The attacks took place in April of this year and caused significant financial disruption to the businesses. The four suspects remain in custody and are being questioned by the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, the NCA said in a press release. The suspects are three men aged 17, 19 and 19, and a woman aged 20. They were arrested on Wednesday, July 10, in London and the West Midlands on suspicion of computer misuse, extortion, money laundering and involvement in organised crime. Electronic devices were seized during the searches for digital forensic examination. The police operation was supported by regional units from the West and East Midlands. Impact of cyberattacks on businesses Paul Foster, deputy director and head of the NCA's cybercrime unit, highlighted the impact of cyberattacks on businesses. 'They can cause serious disruption to businesses.' British department store chain Marks & Spencer lost over 1.2 billion pounds in market value. It also faced a multi-million pound lawsuit following a cyberattack. The complaint specifically relates to Scottish customers whose personal data was stolen during the incident. The estimated financial impact of the cyberattack on M&S is approximately 300 million pounds in reduced operating profit in the 2025/26 financial year, the retailer said in response to the cyberattacks. Supermarket chain Co-op reported that the attackers had stolen customers' personal data, disrupted payments and made it impossible to replenish shelves. According to several sources, London department store Harrods had to restrict access to its online services in May because it could not process orders. Foster added: 'We are grateful to M&S, Co-op and Harrods for their cooperation with this investigation. Their engagement highlights how important it is for victims to come forward and seek help from the authorities.' This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
The Star
11-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
UK arrests four linked to M&S, Harrods cyberattacks
The attack on M&S locked down the company's internal systems with ransomware, causing weeks of disruption to online sales and an estimated £300mil (RM1.73bil) hit to its operating profit. — Reuters The UK's National Crime Agency has arrested four people over a series of disruptive cyberattacks that targeted leading British retailers earlier this year. The authorities detained three teenage males and one 20-year-old female in the West Midlands and London on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offenses, blackmail, money laundering and participating in the activities of an organised crime group, the agency said in a statement Thursday. The arrests were made in connection with an investigation into hacks in April that targeted Marks & Spencer Group Plc, Co-Op and Harrods. The attack on M&S locked down the company's internal systems with ransomware, causing weeks of disruption to online sales and an estimated £300mil (RM1.73bil) hit to its operating profit. Meanwhile, the Co-Op said hackers stole data from its internal systems on "a significant number' of its customers. Paul Foster, head of the National Crime Agency's cybercrime unit, said the investigation into the attacks was one of his organization's top priorities. "Today's arrests are a significant step in that investigation but our work continues, alongside partners in the UK and overseas, to ensure those responsible are identified and brought to justice,' Foster said in the statement. A spokesperson for M&S said that the company welcomed the development and thanked the crime agency "for its diligent work on this incident.' A Co-Op spokesperson said its members were pleased their cooperation led to the arrests. Harrods did not respond to a request for comment. The suspects were arrested at their home addresses on Thursday and had electronic devices seized, according to the National Crime Agency. Three are British nationals and a 19-year-old male from the West Midlands is Latvian, investigators said. Retail companies around the world have been plagued by a campaign of cyberattacks that some researchers attribute to Scattered Spider, a loosely affiliated English-speaking hacking gang that targets companies and individuals. A group resembling Scattered Spider recently moved from targeting retail to insurance companies and airlines, according to Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Google's Mandiant. The National Crime Agency declined to comment on if those arrested were affiliated with the group. The hackers worked with another cybercrime gang, known as DragonForce, to carry out the UK retail attacks, Bloomberg News reported previously. Dragonforce rents out malicious software, known as ransomware, to other hackers. Typically, ransomware encrypts files stored on computers and the hackers then demand payment in cryptocurrency to unlock the files. The incident occurred as a result of "sophisticated impersonation' of one of the retailer's third-party users, Marks & Spencer Chairman Archie Norman told a UK parliamentary committee on Wednesday. "It's fair to say that everybody at M&S experienced it,' he said. "We're still in the rebuild mode and will be for some time to come,' though things would return to normal for customers by the end of this month, Norman added. – Bloomberg
Glasgow Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Four people arrested after cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the individuals were arrested early on Thursday morning on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, offences linked to the Computer Misuse Act and participating in the activities of an organised crime group. The arrests included a 17-year-old British man from the West Midlands, a 19-year-old Latvian man from the West Midlands, a 19-year-old British man from London and a 20-year-old British woman from Staffordshire. Co-op shops were also impacted by a cyber attack (Co-op/PA) All four were arrested from their home addresses and remain in custody. The police also seized electronic devices from the properties. It comes after investigations by NCA into attacks against the three retailers, where hackers sought ransom payments after breaking into their IT systems. M&S was the first of the retailers to be targeted by the hackers, with the retailer shutting a raft of systems down in response on Easter Sunday. The company said the cyber attack has cost the firm around £300 million after it shut down its website for six weeks. Meanwhile, Co-op saw payments disrupted and shelves become bare from May because of the fallout of its cyber attack. Hackers also stole Co-op members' personal data, such as names and contact details. Harrods restricted internet access across its websites in May following attempts to gain unauthorised access to its systems. The arrests mark a breakthrough in police efforts to investigate the attacks, which had been linked to the Scattered Spider group of hackers. Paul Foster, head of the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, said: 'Since these attacks took place, specialist NCA cybercrime investigators have been working at pace and the investigation remains one of the agency's highest priorities. 'Today's arrests are a significant step in that investigation but our work continues, alongside partners in the UK and overseas, to ensure those responsible are identified and brought to justice. 'Hopefully this signals to future victims the importance of seeking support and engaging with law enforcement as part of the reporting process.' It came days after M&S chairman Archie Norman told MPs that two other 'large British companies' have been impacted by unreported cyber attacks in recent months, as he detailed the 'traumatic' attack on the historic retailer. An M&S spokeswoman said: 'We welcome this development and thank the NCA for its diligent work on this incident.' A Co-op spokeswoman said: 'Hacking is not a victimless crime. 'Throughout this period, we have engaged fully with the NCA, and relevant authorities and are pleased on behalf of our members to see this had led to these arrests today.'
