How the Retailer Cyberattacks impacts Law Firms

In Short: A wave of cyberattacks has disrupted some of the UK’s biggest retailer including Marks & Spencer, Harrods, and the Co-op, highlighting a growing threat to both business operations and customer trust. Plus an opportunity for law firms.

What Happened?

• Marks & Spencer (M&S) has been battling a ransomware-style cyberattack since Easter, knocking out online orders, Click & Collect, contactless payments, and even automated stock systems. The attack wiped £678mn off its market value. Experts believe it may be linked to the hacking collective Scattered Spider.
• Co-op detected hackers attempting to access its IT systems and proactively shut down parts of its back office and call centre operations. While stores remain open, the incident shows that even preventive action can cause disruption.
• Harrods confirmed it had to restrict internet access after unauthorised access attempts were detected. While stores and the website remain operational, some systems were shut down to prevent a breach.

These incidents follow a string of previous attacks: Morrisons faced a major Christmas cyber incident, Barclays and Lloyds suffered IT disruptions from hacks, and even schools have been impacted. The Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit is now investigating the M&S attack, and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has urged all retailers to bolster defences.

How does this impact Law Firms and their clients?