MARKS & SPENCER has asked the Metropolitan Police’s cyber crime unit to investigate a ransomware attack that has disrupted its services for nearly two weeks.
The retailer has been unable to accept online orders for six days, and click-and-collect services continue to face delays.
The Daily Mail first reported the police involvement. The Met Police confirmed that inquiries were ongoing and no arrests had been made yet. They have been working with M&S since last Wednesday.
According to reports, a cyber gang called Scattered Spider, believed to include British and American teenagers, may be behind the attack.
Investigators are also looking into the possible use of a hacking tool linked to DragonForce, which is described as a “ransomware cartel”.
M&S is working with experts from CrowdStrike, GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, the National Crime Agency, and the Met Police.
The attack initially caused issues with contactless payments and online orders over the Easter weekend.
While contactless services have resumed, online orders were suspended on Friday.
The disruption has led to some stores facing limited stock availability and has affected M&S’s market value.
The Telegraph reported last week that the incident was a ransomware attack.
Mark Easton
And , Sue Baker OBE
