The Marks & Spencer website has resumed operations after being unavailable to users for several hours.
Customers had already been facing issues placing online orders for several weeks due to the aftermath of a cyber-attack. On Wednesday evening, the situation escalated when the website went completely offline. A message displayed on the site stated, "Sorry you can't browse the site currently. We're making some updates and will be back soon."
By Thursday morning, just after 7:00 AM, Marks & Spencer confirmed that the website was accessible again for browsing following overnight updates.
Earlier on Wednesday, the retailer revealed that the cyber-attack was expected to reduce this year’s profits by around £300 million. Although insurance will cover part of the loss, the impact is greater than analysts had anticipated.
M&S noted that online services would remain disrupted until July, with a gradual return to full functionality.
The company acknowledged that some personal customer data had been stolen in the attack. This includes information such as telephone numbers, home addresses, and dates of birth. However, they reassured customers that payment or card details and account passwords were not compromised. Online order histories may have been accessed.
The cyber-attack occurred during the Easter weekend, initially affecting click-and-collect services and contactless payments. Within a few days, M&S suspended all online orders.
“We have been managing a highly sophisticated and targeted cyber-attack over the last few weeks, which resulted in a short period of disruption,” said Stuart Machin, the chief executive of M&S.
According to the BBC, police investigations are focusing on an English-speaking hacker group known as Scattered Spider. This group is believed to be responsible for previous attacks on Co-op and Harrods, though M&S experienced the most significant disruption.
In a statement released Thursday morning, M&S said, “Our website is open for browsing. As we continue to restore full service for our customers, we are carrying out some overnight updates.
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