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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| M&S says 'cyber incident' hitting click and collect orders | M&S says 'cyber incident' hitting click and collect orders |
| (33 minutes later) | |
| Marks and Spencer (M&S) says it has been dealing with a "cyber incident" affecting some of its services over the last few days. | Marks and Spencer (M&S) says it has been dealing with a "cyber incident" affecting some of its services over the last few days. |
| The UK retailer said its Click and Collect service had been impacted by technical issues along with its ability to collect contactless payments - with many customers taking to social media to complain about delays. | |
| M&S chief executive Stuart Machin apologised to customers in a note on Tuesday. | M&S chief executive Stuart Machin apologised to customers in a note on Tuesday. |
| He said the company had been forced to temporarily make "small changes" to store operations "to protect you and our business". | |
| "There is no need for you to take any action at this time and if the situation changes, we will let you know," he said. | "There is no need for you to take any action at this time and if the situation changes, we will let you know," he said. |
| The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data watchdog, has been notified. | |
| "Marks & Spencer plc has made us aware of an incident and we are assessing the information provided," an ICO spokesperson told the BBC. | |
| M&S' notice said the firm was working to resolve some "limited" delays to Click and Collect orders. | |
| It comes after some shoppers complained over the weekend about various issues - including being unable to use gift cards or vouchers in stores. | |
| One person called the issues a "total failure for customers" in a post on X. | One person called the issues a "total failure for customers" in a post on X. |
| "A simple message out to customers to save a journey would have worked a treat," they said. | "A simple message out to customers to save a journey would have worked a treat," they said. |
| And another said they were unable to pay for clothes using a gift card while shopping at a M&S store in Liverpool. | And another said they were unable to pay for clothes using a gift card while shopping at a M&S store in Liverpool. |
| M&S has confirmed it is still experiencing technical difficulties affecting its ability to process gift cards, alongside Click and Collect orders. | |
| 'Cyber resilience' | |
| Daniel Card of the Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) said the M&S incident was "a reminder of the gap that often exists between our perception of cyber resilience and the reality". | |
| "Even well-resourced organisations aren't immune, which underlines the importance of action at every level," he said. | |
| He said while this may feel daunting for some smaller organisations, many common vulnerabilities "can be addressed through practical, proportionate steps". | |
| These may include securing devices and email accounts to protect from targeted attempts to compromise a person or business. | |
| This is just the latest in a series of IT problems to hit major high street names. | |
| Morrisons experienced significant problems with their Christmas orders last year, with deliveries cancelled and discounts not applied on the biggest grocery shopping day of the year. | |
| This was followed by two major outages on what was pay day for many in the first two months of this year. | |
| And in January, serious IT problems at Barclays affected the bank's app and online banking. | |
| It was later disclosed the firm could face compensation payments of £12.5m. | |
| In February, several banks – notably Lloyds – faced outages, leaving businesses unable to pay staff. | |
| Additional reporting by Chris Vallance |