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| Co-op fends off hackers as police probe M&S cyber attack | Co-op fends off hackers as police probe M&S cyber attack |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The Co-op has shut down parts of its IT systems in response to hackers attempting to gain access to them. | The Co-op has shut down parts of its IT systems in response to hackers attempting to gain access to them. |
| It said the "proactive measures" it had taken to fend off the attack had had a "small impact" on its call centre and back office. | It said the "proactive measures" it had taken to fend off the attack had had a "small impact" on its call centre and back office. |
| Meanwhile, The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it's looking into the major cyber attack at fellow retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S). | Meanwhile, The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it's looking into the major cyber attack at fellow retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S). |
| "Detectives from the Met's cyber crime unit are investigating," it said in a statement. | "Detectives from the Met's cyber crime unit are investigating," it said in a statement. |
| It is not known whether there is any link between the two incidents. | It is not known whether there is any link between the two incidents. |
| There are more than 2,500 Co-op supermarkets in the UK, as well as 800 funeral homes. It also provides food to Nisa shops. | There are more than 2,500 Co-op supermarkets in the UK, as well as 800 funeral homes. It also provides food to Nisa shops. |
| A spokesperson confirmed its shops and funeral homes were operating as usual following the attempted hack. | A spokesperson confirmed its shops and funeral homes were operating as usual following the attempted hack. |
| "We are working hard to reduce any disruption to our services and would like to thank our colleagues, members, partners and suppliers for their understanding during this period," they said. | "We are working hard to reduce any disruption to our services and would like to thank our colleagues, members, partners and suppliers for their understanding during this period," they said. |
| "We are not asking our members or customers to do anything differently at this point." | "We are not asking our members or customers to do anything differently at this point." |
| It comes as M&S enters the second week of a cyber attack that has caused chaos costing it millions of pounds in lost sales. | It comes as M&S enters the second week of a cyber attack that has caused chaos costing it millions of pounds in lost sales. |
| The retailer has not said what took out its online ordering systems and left empty shelves in stores. | |
| Ciaran Martin, the founding Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday it had "serious" consequences for M&S. | Ciaran Martin, the founding Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday it had "serious" consequences for M&S. |
| "It is a highly disruptive event and a very difficult one for them to deal with," he said. | |
| M&S chaos | |
| Experts have told the BBC they believe the cyber attack affecting M&S is a result of ransomware called DragonForce. | |
| Ransomware is malicious software which locks an owner out of their computer or network and scrambles their data - with the criminals demanding a fee to unlock it. | |
| It is not known whether the Co-op discovered the hacking attempt as a result of any extra security checks following the cyber attack on its high street rival. | |
| Dan Card, cyber expert at BCS, the chartered institute for IT, said it was "very rare" for a firm to take systems offline after an attempted hack. | |
| "Taking systems offline is typically indicative of either a loss of control or to defend against a zero day where no patch is available," he said. | |
| A "zero day" is a term for a vulnerability in a computer system which its owners don't know about - meaning anybody can exploit it. | |
| There have been similar hacking attempts on supermarket chains in the past, with Morrisons being impacted by an incident in December 2024. | |
| Meanwhile, the banks Barclays and Lloyds were hit by outages earlier in 2025. | |
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