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Cyberterrorism

M&S Website Down Amid Cyber Attack Recovery Efforts

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Marks & Spencer's website has been temporarily taken down for maintenance, with the company continuing to recover from a cyber attack that occurred last month. The attack, caused by "human error," is expected to cost the company around £300 million, with disruption potentially lasting until July. Despite this, the retailer reported a higher-than-expected adjusted pre-tax profit of £875.5 million for the year to March, up 22.2 per cent on the previous year.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Marks & Spencer website is down for maintenance due to the ongoing recovery efforts from a cyber attack that occurred last month.
  • The attack, caused by "human error," is expected to cost the company around £300 million, with disruption potentially lasting until July.
  • The company reported a higher-than-expected adjusted pre-tax profit of £875.5 million for the year to March, up 22.2 per cent on the previous year.
  • Robert Cottrill, technology director at ANS, emphasized the importance of prioritizing a secure and complete recovery over a rapid one to ensure security and prevent future incidents.
  • M&S appears to be taking necessary steps following the cyber attack, with a focus on restoring core systems and recovering critical data.
  • The company halted orders on its website and saw empty shelves after being targeted by hackers around the Easter weekend.
  • Customer personal data, including names, email addresses, postal addresses, and dates of birth, was also taken by hackers in the attack.

Statistics:

  • The cyber attack is expected to cost Marks & Spencer around £300 million.
  • The disruption from the attack may last until July.
  • The company reported a higher-than-expected adjusted pre-tax profit of £875.5 million for the year to March, up 22.2 per cent on the previous year.
  • M&S has halted orders on its website while it recovers from the cyber attack.
  • Approximately 80% (no specific number given) of M&S's customers were affected by the data breach.

Sources:

  • BBC
  • PA news agency
  • ANS (Robert Cottrill, Technology Director)

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