Retail Giant M&S Takes Action Amid Ransomware Assault

  • M&S shuts remote-working employees out of IT systems after cyber attack
  • Cybersecurity experts believe move was made to stop attack spreading
  • Retailer hit with ransomware attack from criminal gang
  • Online orders suspended on UK & Ireland websites and apps
  • Click and collect services paused due to incident

Mark & Spencer (M&S) has temporarily shut remote-working employees out of some IT systems following a cyber attack last week. The high street retailer closed certain programmes that staff use to access internal systems while working from home, according to The Times. Cybersecurity experts believe this move was made to prevent the attack from spreading throughout M&S’s IT infrastructure. Sources close to the company confirmed that employees could still work remotely but with limited access to internal systems as they dealt with the incident. Although M&S has not commented on the nature of the attack, The Telegraph reported that the retailer experienced a ransomware assault from a criminal group. On Friday (25 April), M&S suspended online orders via its UK & Ireland websites and apps, along with some M&S International operated sites as part of ‘proactive management’ of the incident. The company also paused click-and-collect services after customers were unable to use contactless payments or collect items over the Bank holiday weekend. M&S has not yet disclosed further details about the attack.

Factuality Level: 7
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and relevant information about M&S’s cyberattack and its impact on remote working employees, as well as the suspension of online orders. However, it includes unrelated information about Sainsbury’s boss Simon Roberts, which is not directly related to the main topic.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about M&S’s cyberattack and its impact on remote working employees, but it lacks in-depth analysis or actionable insights.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Yes
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses a cyberattack on M&S, which is a retail company, and its impact on the company’s IT systems and online operations. This can potentially affect the financial performance of the company and may have implications for investors and stakeholders.
Presence Of Extreme Event: Yes
Nature Of Extreme Event: Technological Disruption
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Moderate
Extreme Rating Justification: The cyberattack caused disruptions to M&S’s IT systems and affected their online operations, leading to the suspension of online orders and click-and-collect services. The company is working with experts to restore operations.

Reported publicly: www.retailgazette.co.uk