Harrods has been targeted by cyber hackers in the latest attempted cyber attack on major UK retailers.
The luxury London department store confirmed it has been fighting “attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems” after major brands Marks & Spencer and the Co-op Group recently endured similar incidents.
The store said it had been forced to restrict internet access across its sites on Thursday as a precautionary measure, but reassured customers they can continue to shop on its sites.
It comes as a cybersecurity expert warned the flurry of high-profile hacks seen recently are only “the tip of an iceberg of attacks daily”.
In a statement issued on Thursday, a Harrods spokesperson told The Independent: “We recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems.
“Our seasoned IT security team immediately took proactive steps to keep systems safe and as a result we have restricted internet access at our sites today.
“Currently all sites including our Knightsbridge store, H beauty stores and airport stores remain open to welcome customers.”
They said customers could also continue to shop on the Harrods’ website.
“We are not asking our customers to do anything differently at this point and we will continue to provide updates as necessary,” they added.
The attempted hack comes after Marks & Spencer confirmed on Thursday that it is unable to hire new workers as the retail giant continues to battle disruption to its operations from a damaging cyber attack.
It is now more than a week since the company’s IT systems were first hit by a major ransomware attack, which the Metropolitan Police confirmed the force is investigating.
The retailer is still not taking online orders and availability of some products in its stores was impacted after it took some of its systems offline in response.
M&S first reported issues over the Easter weekend, when it stopped taking click-and-collect orders and saw contactless payments impacted by the “cyber incident”. It has since restarted contactless payments.
In a separate incident, rival retailer The Co-op shut off parts of its IT systems on Wednesday after an attempted hack.
It said some of its back office and call centre services have been affected but that all stores, including grocery and funeral homes, are trading as usual.
The BBC reported on Thursday that staff at the business are being ordered to keep cameras on and verify identities on all remote work meetings as a result.
Speaking to The Independent earlier this week, Alan Woodward, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Surrey, said the major incidents were among daily attacks perpetrated by criminals against UK businesses.
“These are high-profile names so make the headlines, but they are the tip of an iceberg of attacks daily,” he said.
