Overview

• Marks & Spencer has suspended online shopping, gift card use, and hiring due to a ransomware attack, causing limited product availability in some stores and a £700 million loss in market value.
• The hacking group Scattered Spider, reportedly including teenage members, is suspected of orchestrating the breach using sophisticated social engineering and ransomware tools.
• The Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit and the National Cyber Security Centre are actively investigating the incident, with no timeline provided for full restoration of services.
• Retailers Co-op and Harrods have reported attempted cyber breaches, prompting precautionary IT restrictions to safeguard systems, though their operations remain largely unaffected.
• This incident highlights increasing cyber vulnerabilities across the UK retail sector, with experts urging enhanced resilience and security measures against evolving threats.