Four young people have been arrested for their suspected involvement in 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, a 19-year-old Latvian man from the West Midlands, a 19-year-old British man from London and a 20-year-old British woman from Staffordshire.
All four were arrested from their home addresses and remain in custody.
The police also seized electronic devices from the properties.
It comes after investigations by NCA into attacks against the three retailers, where hackers sought ransom payments after breaking into their IT systems.
M&S was the first of the retailers to be targeted by the hackers, with the retailer shutting a raft of systems down in response on Easter Sunday.
The company said the cyber attack has cost the firm around £300 million after it shut down its website for six weeks.
Meanwhile, Co-op saw payments disrupted and shelves become bare from May because of the fallout of its cyber attack.
Hackers also stole Co-op members’ personal data, such as names and contact details.
Harrods restricted internet access across its websites in May following attempts to gain unauthorised access to its systems.
The arrests mark a breakthrough in police efforts to investigate the attacks, which had been linked to the Scattered Spider group of hackers.
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.
“Hopefully this signals to future victims the importance of seeking support and engaging with law enforcement as part of the reporting process.”
It came days after M&S chairman Archie Norman told MPs that two other “large British companies” have been impacted by unreported cyber attacks in recent months, as he detailed the “traumatic” attack on the historic retailer.
An M&S spokeswoman said: “We welcome this development and thank the NCA for its diligent work on this incident.”
A Co-op spokeswoman said: “Hacking is not a victimless crime.
“Throughout this period, we have engaged fully with the NCA, and relevant authorities and are pleased on behalf of our members to see this had led to these arrests today.”
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