Marks & Spencer has issued a warning to customers in light of the huge cyber attack on the company on April 21.
M&S warned customers that they might receive emails, calls or texts claiming to be from the company - when in fact they are not, advising punters to be cautious.
The company has highlighted that it will never contact customers asking them to provide it with personal account information.
The retailer warned in an email to consumers: “Unfortunately, the nature of the incident means that some personal customer data has been taken, but there is no evidence that it has been shared. The personal data could include contact details, date of birth and online order history.
“However, importantly, the data does not include useable card or payment details, and it also does not include any account passwords.”
The email continued: “Remember that we will never contact you and ask you to provide us with personal account information, like usernames, and we will never ask you to give us your password.”
This comes after M&S has been dealing with the fallout of a cybersecurity incident, which has since been confirmed to involve a gang stealing personal customer data. However, the supermarket chain states that this data is not “useable payment or card details” or passwords.
The company confirmed that there is no evidence that personal data has been shared, which is thought to possibly include contact details, dates of birth, and online order history.
“To proactively manage the incident, we immediately took steps to protect our systems and engaged leading cyber security experts,” said the spokesperson for Marks & Spencer in an email to customers. “We also reported the incident to relevant government authorities and law enforcement, who we continue to work closely with.”
What do you need to do?
M&S has said that you do not need to take any action, but asked that customers be cautious.
There is concern that either the original hackers or chancers looking to capitalise on the situation may try and seize the moment to mislead customers.
To be extra cautious, the brand is recommending users to change their passwords next time they log into their online accounts. It has also issued advice about how to stay vigilant in the face of cyber security breaches.
