Dior is the latest victim in a series of cyber attacks on retailers. On 7 May, the fashion house discovered that an “unauthorised third party” had gained access to a customer database in China.
Exclusivity versus digital vulnerability
The focus of the attack seems to be the Chinese market, a core region for the luxury brand. The database did not contain financial data such as account numbers or credit card information, but did contain personal data such as name, gender, e-mail address, postal address, phone number, purchase amounts and shop preferences. The data breach therefore increases the likelihood of targeted fraud and phishing. Dior is urging customers to stay alert for suspicious messages.
However, the impact of the breach extends beyond privacy concerns. In the luxury sector, where discretion and trust are essential, such an incident erodes brand value as well. Customers went to social media to say that their trust in the brand has been damaged. The Korean government is even saying it could impose a fine because Dior did not report the cyber attack to the country’s authorities.
In recent months, many other retailers have also been victims of cyber attacks, such as Ahold Delhaize, M&S and Harrods. At M&S, the situation has been going on for weeks, costing the company several million pounds a week.
