Latest news with #StuartMachin
Daily Mirror
15-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
M&S shopper tells everyone to 'check till receipt' after spotting error
Marks and Spencer was originally founded in 1884 and is known and loved for its high quality clothing, homeware, accessories and food. Recently, the retailer has been dealing with a cyber attack A Marks and Spencer shopper has urged fellow customers to check their receipts after shopping at the high street favourite and spotting a pricing error on hers. The retailer is still dealing with the ramifications of a 'cyber incident' that kicked off in April and initially seriously impacted customers' ability to make contactless payments, while also affecting the company's processing of click-and-collect orders across multiple UK stores. In a bid to get things under control, M&S bosses took the dramatic measure of temporarily halting all online orders. On April 22, M&S chief executive Stuart Machin apologised to customers via a statement. The CEO said the company was 'managing' the issue but, at the time, it was still 'necessary' to implement a series of 'small changes' to 'store operations' on a temporary basis until the situation was rectified. Stores remained open and, originally, the app and website were still fully operational but days later, on April 25, the company stopped taking online orders while the issue remained ongoing. The disruption was expected to continue throughout June and July. But now, customers are able to order online once again. On June 10, John Lyttle, managing director of fashion, home and beauty at M&S confirmed the much longed-for news in a statement shared on social media. The director said: 'We are bringing back online shopping this week. A selection of our best selling fashion ranges will be available for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales from today. 'More of our fashion, home and beauty products will be added every day and we will resume deliveries to Northern Ireland and Click and Collect in the coming weeks. Thank you sincerely for your support and for shopping with us.' However, some customers are still convinced things aren't quite back to normal with the beloved British icon. One mum popped in store to pick up a few items and quickly spotted the price she saw on the shelves hadn't been reflected on her receipt. On Mumsnet, in a post titled 'M&S, check your till receipt', she explained: 'Bought a food item yesterday and the price charged at the till (£3.75) was higher than that shown on the shelf edge ticket (£3.50).' Of course, pricing blunders can happen at all stores but the mum was keen to encourage shoppers to be vigilant in the wake of Marks and Spencer's cyber incident. She added: 'The assistant apologised, took off the shelf edge marker and apologised saying that since the cyber attack pricing and delivery have been a problem.' In the comments section, people shared their thoughts. One person wasn't concerned at all and said: 'These things can happen in any shop! I've had it happen in other major retailers.' Another quipped: 'This is an everyday occurrence in French supermarkets. I think they make their prices up on the day.' In a follow up comment, the mum agreed that such pricing errors can happen in any store and added: 'That's why it's good to check receipts, but be especially careful with M&S until they completely resolve their issues.'
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
DragonForce and Scattered Spider: Inside the hacker groups linked to M&S cyberattack
Marks & Spencer has finally reopened its online orders, months after a cyber attack which is set to cost the British high street retailer £300 million in profits this year. This comes as a new hacking group has been connected with the incident, after it was revealed the DragonForce group sent M&S CEO Stuart Machin an email days after it faced a major cyberattack gloating about the hack and demanding ransom payment. The email, seen and reported by the BBC, said: 'We have marched the ways from China all the way to the UK and have mercilessly raped your company and encrypted all the servers.' DragonForce aren't the only group that have been connected with the attack on the retailer, as the Scattered Spider network had previously been named as the enactors of the social engineering attack. According to Sergey Shyekevich, a researcher from cybersecurity company Checkpoint, more hacker groups are forming alliances on the dark web. 'Co-operation between two powerful groups is very interesting,' he says. 'It's one outcome we see on the dark web more and more, alliances between big groups.' Here's all we know about the two hacker groups What is DragonForce? DragonForce is a hacker organisation that offers Ransomware to cyber-criminal affiliates for a 20 per cent cut of any ransoms collected. This means that for a fee, they lease out their malware through dark web marketplaces to cyber-criminals. While the organisation originally started working in 2023, they've had a massive re-marketing of their business model in the past couple of months. 'In the last two months, they started to become very active in one of the biggest dark web forums,' says Sergey, who says they have marketed themselves as a 'Ransomware Cartel', cornering that market on the dark web in the past month. 'They started being more aggressive I think a few weeks before all the attacks in the UK,' he adds. Researchers have claimed they operate out of Malaysia, with some disputing this and saying they are located in Russia. As well as the M&S hack, DragonForce has been linked to the Co-op cyberattack. What is Scattered Spider? Scattered Spider is a community of hackers that targets huge organisations across different sectors using social engineering tactics. 'They're very good at social engineering of different types,' Sergey says, adding that in the past they have used SIM swapping and impersonated IT staff to trick people into letting them use their systems. Believed to be a community of young adults across the US and UK, the group gained notoriety for their involvement in hacking and extorting two of the largest casino and gambling companies in the United States. 'They understand human nature and how big corporations work,' says Sergey. 'They're very successful.' In 2023 they were linked to the hacking and extortion of Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International, which led the former to pay a ransom of approximately £11 million ($15 million). They were able to access a significant number of driver's licence numbers and possibly even Social Security numbers of the casino customers through the ransomware demand. A 17-year-old hacker from the United Kingdom was arrested in connection with the hack and attempted ransom in July 2024. How did the cyberattack happen? M&S first disclosed they had experienced a cyberattack on 22 April, which had disrupted their online operations and even halted contactless payments. Hundreds of agency workers at the company were told not to come into work as the retailer dealt with the fallout of the cyberattack. Customer personal data – which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth – was also taken by hackers in the attack. M&S revealed last month that the attack was caused by 'human error', as Mr Machin said in an annual figures report in May that the hackers gained access to the company's IT systems through a third party. He said at the time: 'We didn't leave the door open, this wasn't anything to do with under-investment. Everyone is vulnerable. For us, we were unlucky on this particular day through some human error.' Responding to attacks on the retail sector, the NCSC put out advice to the industry and responded to speculation that the Scattered Spider group had used social engineering to target IT help desks and perform password and MFA (multi-factor authentication) resets. 'Criminal activity online – including, but not limited to, ransomware and data extortion – is rampant,' their blog post wrote. 'Attacks like this are becoming more and more common. And all organisations, of all sizes, need to be prepared.' Deputy Director Paul Foster, head of the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, said: 'Specialist NCA cybercrime officers are working closely with law enforcement partners to investigate the recent cyber incidents affecting the retail sector. Identifying the criminals responsible and bringing them to justice is a top priority. 'We are considering the incidents individually, but have a range of hypotheses and are mindful they may be linked. 'The impact of these incidents has been significant and businesses will understandably be concerned. I'd encourage all organisations to follow advice on the NCSC's website to ensure they have effective cyber security measures in place to help prevent attacks. 'I'd also urge those that do unfortunately fall victim to an attack to engage with law enforcement as part of the reporting process. The NCA and policing will investigate covertly and discreetly, as well as support the recovery of systems and data.' How much money has M&S lost? The fallout from the cyberattack saw the company lose £650 million of value in a matter of days. M&S said it expected to take an estimated £300 million hit to profits this year, as they predicted disruption to its online business to last into July. What has M&S said in response? As M&S reopened its online operations, they put out a statement which said: 'You can now place online orders with standard delivery to England, Scotland and Wales. Delivery to Northern Ireland will resume in the coming weeks. 'We will resume click and collect, next-day delivery, nominated-day delivery and international ordering in the coming weeks.'
Irish Examiner
10-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
M&S 'working hard' to restore online orders for Irish customers following hack
Marks & Spencer said it is "working hard" to resume online orders for Irish customers following a crippling cyber attack after reopened its website to shoppers in Britain on Tuesday. The retailer was forced to halt internet orders in April amid heavy disruptions caused by the attack. M&S halted orders on its website over the Easter weekend, and was also left with some empty shelves after being targeted by hackers. Customer personal data - which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth - was also taken by hackers in the attack. A ransomware gang known as DragonForce claimed responsibility for the hack. M&S said on Tuesday a selection of its best-selling fashion ranges and new products for available for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales. Online shoppers on the island of Ireland face a longer wait, however. "We are working hard to resume online orders for our valued customers in the Republic of Ireland as quickly as we can. Meanwhile, M&S fashion, home and beauty is available to shop in our stores. We are grateful to our customers for their continued support," an M&S spokesperson said. M&S revealed last month that the hack will cost the company around £300m (€354m). M&S chief executive Stuart Machin said on reporting annual figures in May that hackers gained access to the company's IT systems through a third party. Mr Machin said the problems may not be fully resolved until July. "We have to be vigilant and lucky every day — threat actors only have to be lucky once," Mr Machine said. "We didn't leave the door open, this wasn't anything to do with underinvestment. Everyone is vulnerable. For us, we were unlucky on this particular day through some human error." While its 565 stores have been able to remain open and trade throughout, contactless payments were impacted initially - while there was also some stock availability issues as it had to temporarily switch to manual processes following the attack. M&S said that while the incident is likely to drag its group operating profits down this year, it expects this to be reduced through cost management, insurance, and other reactions. The company suggested it could reduce the impact of the attack by as much as "half". Shares in M&S lifted 3% in Tuesday morning trading.
The Journal
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Irish Marks and Spencer online deliveries unavailable as company resumes online orders in UK
MARKS & SPENCER HAS reopened its website to UK customers after it was forced to halt online orders in April following a damaging cyber attack, but has not yet announced when it will resume operations on the Irish site. The retail giant said shoppers are now able to buy a selection of its best-selling fashion ranges and new products for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales. In a statement published on social media, M&S managing director of clothing, home and beauty John Lyttle said: 'More of our fashion, home and beauty products will be added every day, and we will resume deliveries to Northern Ireland and Click and Collect in the coming weeks. 'Thank you sincerely for your support and for shopping with us.' It followed a major cyber attack in April that has seen the group face heavy disruption. M&S halted orders on its website over the Easter weekend, and was also left with some empty shelves after being targeted by hackers. Customer personal data – which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth – was also taken by hackers in the attack. M&S revealed last month that the hack was caused by 'human error', and would cost it around £300m (€355m). Advertisement The Irish website today. Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer Chief executive Stuart Machin said on reporting annual figures in May that hackers gained access to the company's IT systems through a third party. He said at the time: 'We didn't leave the door open, this wasn't anything to do with under-investment. 'Everyone is vulnerable. For us, we were unlucky on this particular day through some human error.' While its 565 stores have been able to remain open and trade throughout, contactless payments were impacted initially – while there was also some stock availability issues as it had to temporarily switch to manual processes following the attack. M&S said the incident is likely to drag its group operating profits down by around £300m (€355m) this year, but it expects this to be reduced through cost management, insurance and other reactions. The company suggested it could reduce the impact of the attack by as much as 'half'. Shares in M&S lifted 3% in Tuesday morning trading. The website has been open for browsing only since the hack, with the group confirming last month that online sales and profits in its fashion, home and beauty business have been 'heavily impacted' by the disruption. The Irish website carries the message, 'We have paused online orders. Products remain available to browse online and stores are open'. Machin recently said the problems may not be fully resolved until July.
South Wales Argus
10-06-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Marks & Spencer reopens website for orders after major cyber attack
The retail giant said shoppers are now able to buy a selection of its best-selling fashion ranges and new products for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales. In a statement published on social media, M&S managing director of clothing, home and beauty John Lyttle said: 'More of our fashion, home and beauty products will be added every day, and we will resume deliveries to Northern Ireland and Click and Collect in the coming weeks. 'Thank you sincerely for your support and for shopping with us.' M&S has reopened its website for online orders for the first time in over six weeks (M&S/PA) It followed a major cyber attack in April that has seen the group face heavy disruption. M&S halted orders on its website over the Easter weekend, and was also left with some empty shelves after being targeted by hackers. Customer personal data – which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth – was also taken by hackers in the attack. M&S revealed last month that the hack was caused by 'human error', and would cost it around £300 million. Chief executive Stuart Machin said on reporting annual figures in May that hackers gained access to the company's IT systems through a third party. He said at the time: 'We didn't leave the door open, this wasn't anything to do with under-investment. 'Everyone is vulnerable. For us, we were unlucky on this particular day through some human error.' While its 565 stores have been able to remain open and trade throughout, contactless payments were impacted initially – while there was also some stock availability issues as it had to temporarily switch to manual processes following the attack. M&S said the incident is likely to drag its group operating profits down by around £300 million this year, but it expects this to be reduced through cost management, insurance and other reactions. The company suggested it could reduce the impact of the attack by as much as 'half'. Shares in M&S lifted 3% in Tuesday morning trading. The website has been open for browsing only since the hack, with the group confirming last month that online sales and profits in its fashion, home and beauty business have been 'heavily impacted' by the disruption. Mr Machin recently said the problems may not be fully resolved until July.
