Four young people have been arrested and accused of masterminding the damaging cyber-attacks against Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the individuals were arrested early on Thursday morning on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, offences linked to the Computer Misuse Act and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
The arrests included a 17-year-old British man from the West Midlands, 19-year-old Latvian man from the West Midlands, 19-year-old British man from London and 20-year-old British woman from Staffordshire.
All four were arrested from their home addresses and remain in custody. They have not been named.
Their electronic devices were seized for digital forensic analysis.
Paul Foster, head of the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Since these attacks took place, specialist NCA cybercrime investigators have been working at pace and the investigation remains one of the agency's highest priorities.
“Today's arrests are a significant step in that investigation but our work continues, alongside partners in the UK and overseas, to ensure those responsible are identified and brought to justice.
“Cyber attacks can be hugely disruptive for businesses and I'd like to thank M&S, Co-op and Harrods for their support to our investigations. Hopefully this signals to future victims the importance of seeking support and engaging with law enforcement as part of the reporting process. The NCA and policing are here to help.”
The M&S cyber incident was discovered around Easter time and wiped millions off its market value.
The store were forced to suspend online orders in the UK and Ireland as a precaution, although physical stores remained open and trading.
Here’s what we know about the M&S cyber attack:
What happened in the M&S cyber attack?
Marks & Spencer first revealed the cyber attack on Monday, April 21, after customers reported payment issues and delays receiving online orders.
In an email to shoppers, M&S chief executive Stuart Machin wrote: “Over the last few days, M&S has been managing a cyber incident. To protect you and the business, it was necessary to temporarily make some small changes to our store operations, and I am sincerely sorry if you experienced any inconvenience.
“Importantly, our stores remain open, and our website and app are operating as normal. There is no need for you to take any action at this time, and if the situation changes, we will let you know.”
However, the BBC reported that some customers were frustrated by “disappointing” communication from the retailer.
As a result of the disruption, M&S has asked about 200 agency workers at its main distribution centre to stay home, due to a slowdown in order processing.
Ciaran Martin, the founding chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, told the BBC that the incident had "serious" consequences for M&S.
"This is a pretty bad episode of ransomware," he said.
"It is a highly disruptive event and a very difficult one for them to deal with."
"I would suggest there is a high level of confidence this is a ransomware-style event," Dan Card, cyber expert at BCS, the chartered institute for IT, told the BBC.
"I describe these as like a digital bomb has gone off. So recovering from them is often both technically and logistically challenging… the victim organisation is likely going to be working around the clock to respond and recover."
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that locks or encrypts a victim's data and demands payment, usually in cryptocurrency, to restore access.
Who was behind the M&S cyber attack?
It was previously said that the hacking group Scattered Spider was behind the cyber attack on Marks & Spencer, according to tech news outlet BleepingComputer.
It is not yet known publicly if the arrested individuals are part of the hacking group.
BleepingComputer reported that the group was suspected of breaching M&S systems as early as February 2025, allegedly stealing the Windows domain's NTDS.dit file—a sensitive database containing user credentials. They are also believed to have used ransomware to encrypt parts of M&S's infrastructure.
Also called UNC3944, Octo Tempest or Muddled Libra, Scattered Spider is reportedly known for employing advanced social engineering tactics, including phishing and multi-factor authentication (MFA) fatigue attacks, to infiltrate large organisations.
Phishing tricks users into revealing sensitive information, while MFA fatigue involves bombarding users with repeated login requests in hopes they’ll approve one out of frustration or confusion.
"Scattered Spider is one of the most dangerous and active hacking groups we are monitoring," Graeme Stewart, the head of public sector at security company Check Point, told Sky News.
"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.”
BleepingComputer reported that DragonForce ransomware was deployed to VMware ESXi hosts on April 24 to encrypt virtual machines. The group reportedly gained access to M&S systems and remained undetected for weeks.
Scattered Spider reportedly comprises young hackers, some as young as 16, who frequent hacker forums, Telegram channels, and Discord servers. Some members are also believed to be linked to the "Com”, a loosely affiliated community known for cyber and real-world criminal activity that has drawn media attention.
Following the breach, M&S enlisted CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and Fenix24 cybersecurity experts to help investigate and contain the incident. The company declined to provide BleepingComputer with additional details about the attack.
What impact has the cyber attack had on M&S?
Analysts have warned that the cyber attack will likely be seen in M&S’s annual profits, telling the BBC that the disruption pushed customers to shop elsewhere for a period of time.
Nayna McIntosh, a former M&S executive and founder of Hope Fashion, said the decision to halt online orders was comparable to “cutting off a limb.”
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the pause on online orders will be “hugely damaging for sales”.
“Fashion sales are likely to take a big hit particularly as the attack has come during the spell of warm weather when summer ranges would ordinarily be piling up in virtual baskets,” she added. “While other retailers have not been immune to IT breaches, the depth of Marks and Spencer’s problems in resolving the issue are worrying, and it may take some time to win back some warier shoppers.”
Shares fell 2.2 per cent to 377.3p on Monday morning, with more than £700 million wiped from the company’s market value since the cyber attack.
