M&S shoppers are facing empty shelves as the retailer struggles to manage the ongoing fallout from a huge cyber attack.
This comes after the retailer’s announcement last Friday confirming the suspension of all online orders, leaving customers unable to make purchases through its website.
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Since then, shoppers have reported coming across “completely empty” shelves in M&S food halls.
Staple items including bananas, fish, and the iconic Colin the Caterpillar cakes have even become hard find in some sites.
At one store, The Telegraph saw signs posted on hot food counters stating they were “temporarily closed”.
The notice read: “Due to technical issues, we aren’t able to offer these products at the moment.”
When questioned, staff suggested that the supply disruptions were connected to a cyber attack.
An M&S spokesperson said: “As part of our proactive management of the incident, we took a decision to take some of our systems temporarily offline.
“As a result, we currently have pockets of limited availability in some stores.
“We are working hard to get availability back to normal across the estate.”
M&S has not yet confirmed the nature of the cyber breach.
But The Telegraph has reported the attack was due to the company being “held to ransom by a criminal gang”.
Shares in M&S continued to slide on Monday morning as the retailer grappled with the ongoing fallout from a major cyber breach.
Since the incident began, over £700million has been wiped off the company’s stock market valuation.
Last week, M&S issued an apology to customers after the breach disrupted orders and payments.
Shoppers faced significant issues, including being unable to collect orders in-store, tills being shut down, and refunds temporarily unavailable.
On Friday, the retailer confirmed it had suspended orders on its website and app for a fourth consecutive day due to the disruption.
The impact has also extended to its workforce, with M&S instructing approximately 200 agency workers at its Castle Donington distribution centre in the East Midlands to remain at home.
The facility handles clothing and homewares logistics, and operations have been heavily affected by the breach.
In a sign of progress, contactless payments in stores have now been restored after being initially disrupted by the cyber issue.
M&S has reported the incident to the National Cyber Security Centre and data protection supervisory authorities, as investigations into the breach continue.
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the pause on online orders will be “hugely damaging for sales”.
“Fashion sales are likely to take a big hit particularly as the attack has come during the spell of warm weather when summer ranges would ordinarily be piling up in virtual baskets,” she added.
“While other retailers have not been immune to IT breaches, the depth of Marks and Spencer’s problems in resolving the issue are worrying, and it may take some time to win back some more warier shoppers.”
What is a cyber attack?
A CYBER attack is any deliberate attempt to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorised access to computer systems, networks, or digital devices.
These attacks can target individuals, businesses, or even governments, and their motives can range from financial gain to political disruption.
Cyber attacks can take many forms, employing various techniques to achieve their malicious goals.
Common types of cyber attacks include:
- Malware: Malicious software designed to damage or gain control of a system. Examples include viruses, worms, ransomware, and spyware.
- Phishing: Deceptive attempts to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details, often through fake emails or websites.
- Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks: Flooding a network or server with traffic to overwhelm its resources and make it unavailable to legitimate users.
- SQL Injection: Exploiting vulnerabilities in website databases to gain unauthorised access to data.
- Ransomware: Malware that encrypts a victim’s data and demands a ransom for its release.
- Social Engineering: Manipulating individuals into performing actions or divulging confidential information.