M&S may have been hacked by a group of notorious cyber-criminals known as Scattered Spider, some of whom are believed to be English-speaking teenagers.
For more than a week, the British retailer has been unable to accept contactless payments and customers are also unable to shop online.
On Monday, Sky News reported that hundreds of agency workers at its main distribution centre were told to stay at home as M&S grappled with the attack.
Shoppers also complained of empty shelves around the country, as M&S confirmed there were “pockets of limited availability in some stores” as a result of measures to manage the cyber incident.
Who are Scattered Spider, the infamous group being linked to the attack?
“Scattered Spider is one of the most dangerous and active hacking groups we are monitoring,” said Graeme Stewart, the head of public sector at security company Check Point.
“Since they first appeared in 2022, they have been linked to more than 100 targeted attacks across industries such as telecoms, finance, retail and gaming,” he said.
In one of their most infamous hacks, members of the group locked up the networks of casino operators Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International, and demanded hefty ransoms.
Caesars paid the hackers about $15m (£11.2m) to restore its network.
Who are the members of Scattered Spider?
“The group is made up of young, English-speaking individuals, mainly based in the UK and the US,” said Mr Stewart.
Some members are believed to be as young as 16, with the group meeting up on hacker forums online.
The authorities have a hard time catching Scattered Spider members because…
