logo
#

Latest news with #PaulFoster

Four youths arrested for cyberattacks on British retailers
Four youths arrested for cyberattacks on British retailers

Fashion United

time6 days ago

  • Business
  • Fashion United

Four youths arrested for cyberattacks on British retailers

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has arrested four suspects in connection with cyberattacks on well-known British retailers Marks & Spencer (M&S), Co-op and Harrods. The attacks took place in April of this year and caused significant financial disruption to the businesses. The four suspects remain in custody and are being questioned by the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, the NCA said in a press release. The suspects are three men aged 17, 19 and 19, and a woman aged 20. They were arrested on Wednesday, July 10, in London and the West Midlands on suspicion of computer misuse, extortion, money laundering and involvement in organised crime. Electronic devices were seized during the searches for digital forensic examination. The police operation was supported by regional units from the West and East Midlands. Impact of cyberattacks on businesses Paul Foster, deputy director and head of the NCA's cybercrime unit, highlighted the impact of cyberattacks on businesses. 'They can cause serious disruption to businesses.' British department store chain Marks & Spencer lost over 1.2 billion pounds in market value. It also faced a multi-million pound lawsuit following a cyberattack. The complaint specifically relates to Scottish customers whose personal data was stolen during the incident. The estimated financial impact of the cyberattack on M&S is approximately 300 million pounds in reduced operating profit in the 2025/26 financial year, the retailer said in response to the cyberattacks. Supermarket chain Co-op reported that the attackers had stolen customers' personal data, disrupted payments and made it impossible to replenish shelves. According to several sources, London department store Harrods had to restrict access to its online services in May because it could not process orders. Foster added: 'We are grateful to M&S, Co-op and Harrods for their cooperation with this investigation. Their engagement highlights how important it is for victims to come forward and seek help from the authorities.' This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@

UK arrests four linked to M&S, Harrods cyberattacks
UK arrests four linked to M&S, Harrods cyberattacks

The Star

time6 days ago

  • Business
  • The Star

UK arrests four linked to M&S, Harrods cyberattacks

The attack on M&S locked down the company's internal systems with ransomware, causing weeks of disruption to online sales and an estimated £300mil (RM1.73bil) hit to its operating profit. — Reuters The UK's National Crime Agency has arrested four people over a series of disruptive cyberattacks that targeted leading British retailers earlier this year. The authorities detained three teenage males and one 20-year-old female in the West Midlands and London on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offenses, blackmail, money laundering and participating in the activities of an organised crime group, the agency said in a statement Thursday. The arrests were made in connection with an investigation into hacks in April that targeted Marks & Spencer Group Plc, Co-Op and Harrods. The attack on M&S locked down the company's internal systems with ransomware, causing weeks of disruption to online sales and an estimated £300mil (RM1.73bil) hit to its operating profit. Meanwhile, the Co-Op said hackers stole data from its internal systems on "a significant number' of its customers. Paul Foster, head of the National Crime Agency's cybercrime unit, said the investigation into the attacks was one of his organization's top 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,' Foster said in the statement. A spokesperson for M&S said that the company welcomed the development and thanked the crime agency "for its diligent work on this incident.' A Co-Op spokesperson said its members were pleased their cooperation led to the arrests. Harrods did not respond to a request for comment. The suspects were arrested at their home addresses on Thursday and had electronic devices seized, according to the National Crime Agency. Three are British nationals and a 19-year-old male from the West Midlands is Latvian, investigators said. Retail companies around the world have been plagued by a campaign of cyberattacks that some researchers attribute to Scattered Spider, a loosely affiliated English-speaking hacking gang that targets companies and individuals. A group resembling Scattered Spider recently moved from targeting retail to insurance companies and airlines, according to Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Google's Mandiant. The National Crime Agency declined to comment on if those arrested were affiliated with the group. The hackers worked with another cybercrime gang, known as DragonForce, to carry out the UK retail attacks, Bloomberg News reported previously. Dragonforce rents out malicious software, known as ransomware, to other hackers. Typically, ransomware encrypts files stored on computers and the hackers then demand payment in cryptocurrency to unlock the files. The incident occurred as a result of "sophisticated impersonation' of one of the retailer's third-party users, Marks & Spencer Chairman Archie Norman told a UK parliamentary committee on Wednesday. "It's fair to say that everybody at M&S experienced it,' he said. "We're still in the rebuild mode and will be for some time to come,' though things would return to normal for customers by the end of this month, Norman added. – Bloomberg

Four people arrested after cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods
Four people arrested after cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

Glasgow Times

time7 days ago

  • Business
  • Glasgow Times

Four people arrested after cyber attacks on M&S, 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. Co-op shops were also impacted by a cyber attack (Co-op/PA) 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.'

UK authorities arrest four suspected members of hacker group Scattered Spider
UK authorities arrest four suspected members of hacker group Scattered Spider

Engadget

time7 days ago

  • Engadget

UK authorities arrest four suspected members of hacker group Scattered Spider

The National Crime Agency (NCA) in London has arrested two 19-year-old men, a 17-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, organized crime and contravening the Computer Misuse Act . These arrests are part of an investigation into a series of cyberattacks on three large UK retailers — Marks & Spencer, Harrods and Co-op — earlier this year. UK investigators believe the suspects are connected with a loose-knit English-speaking hacker group called Scattered Spider, which has been blamed for a series of high-profile incidents . For Co-op, this was the second such incident this year , after a hacking group called DragonForce gained access to the retailer's membership data. Scattered Spider was implicated in 2023 when US-based casino chain Caesars Entertainment reportedly paid tens of millions of dollars to the group in order to keep its customers' data from being exposed. Marks & Spencer was attacked in April and was forced to shut down its online store for over a month. Co-op fell victim the same month in an attack that led to a partial shutdown of its IT system. Harrods disclosed on May 1 that it had staved off an attempted attack by restricting internet access across its websites. "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," said Paul Foster , head of the NCA's national cybercrime unit. The four suspects remain in custody for questioning.

Four people arrested after cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods
Four people arrested after cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

Powys County Times

time7 days ago

  • Business
  • Powys County Times

Four people arrested after cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

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.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store