Woman and three teenagers arrested after M&S, Co-op and Harrods cyber attacks

Four people have been arrested after a wave of cyber attacks struck Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods this year.

A woman and three teenagers were arrested early yesterday morning on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, offenses linked to the Computer Misuse Act and participating in the activities of an organized crime group.

The arrests included a British man, 17, from the West Midlands, a Latvian man, 19, from the West Midlands, a British man, 19, from London and a 20-year-old British woman from Staffordshire.

All four were arrested at their homes and had their electronic devices seized for digital forensic analysis. They remain in custody.

M&S was hit by a ‘highly sophisticated’ cyber breach that crippled operations over the Easter weekend.

Some customer data was stolen, the retailer said, and thieves may have gained access to personal information, such as contact details and birthdates. Card details and passwords were not compromised.

Food deliveries, click and collect services and online orders were upended for weeks, while shoppers were greeted by empty shelves.

M&S said that while most operations are back to normal, the saga has cost the company £300,000,000.

Co-op had to shut down its IT systems in April to prevent hackers from snatching information like shopper passwords and bank details.

Cyber crooks attempted to gain access to Harrods in May, with the luxury department store briefly restricting internet access in its London store and offices.

One of the hacker groups being investigated for the attacks is Scattered Spider, an elusive group known for tricking people into providing their credentials to break into a company’s computer network. 

Once inside, the hackers infect the system with malware, which they say can be removed for a ransom.

M&S said the cyber attack happened because of human error, with hackers gaining access through social engineering tricks via a third-party supplier.

One in five businesses in the UK has been a victim of at least one cybercrime in the past year, according to official figures.

Paul Foster, head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) 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.’

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