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, 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.
Their electronic devices were seized for digital forensic analysis.
It comes after investigations by NCA into attacks against the three retailers, where hackers sought ransom payments after breaking into their IT systems.
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 attack on M&S was disscovered over the Easter weekend. The business was forced to stop taking online orders and stores also struggled to remain stocked.
In May M&S warned it would take an estimated £300m hit to profits this year as a result of the attack and it expected disruption to its online business until July.
Hacker group "Scattered Spider" was suspected of being behind the cyber attack.
Co-op was hit by an attack in May, affecting the retailer’s stocks, leaving shelves bare, and payments were disrupted.
Hackers also stole personal data including members' names and contact details.
Details of the attack on Harrods emerged on May 1, when the world-famous department store said attempts had been made to get into its systems, leading to restricted internet access to the store’s sites.
An M&S spokesperson: “We welcome this development and thank the NCA for its diligent work on this incident.”
A Co-op spokesperson 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.”
