Cyber attack forces Marks & Spencer to suspend e-commerce

Marks & Spencer has been unable to process online orders for several days following a cyber attack, prompting the retailer to send hundreds of employees at its distribution centres home. At the moment, no customer data appears to have been compromised.

Web shop unavailable

The British retailer has faced severe disruption since last week, when the cyber attack began affecting its systems. Customers have reported difficulties with contactless payments and even with collecting online orders in-store. By Friday, Marks & Spencer was even forced to suspend all online activities until the issues are fully resolved.

As there is still no all-clear, some 200 employees at the retailer’s Leicestershire distribution centre have been instructed to stay home, as the fulfilment of online orders is currently impossible. The retailer’s web shop is open for browsing only, while payment systems in physical stores have returned to operating normally.

Marks & Spencer has reassured shoppers that there is no need for any action on their part, suggesting that no customer data has been compromised during the attack. Nevertheless, the financial impact could be significant: M&S sells around 4.5 million euros worth of clothing and homeware each day through its online shop, The Guardian reports.