M&S Cyber-Attack Linked to Scattered Spider Hacker Group

A major cyber-attack on Marks & Spencer has been linked to a hacking collective known as Scattered Spider, previously thought to have hit MGM Resorts and the US casino operator Caesars.

- Sarah Butler

The group, which has been known to include people from the UK and US – some of whom faced charges over attempts to steal cryptocurrency via phishing attacks in the US – are reported to have encrypted key M&S systems using ransomware, according to the technology specialist site Bleeping Computer.

The reports came as online sales at M&S – which account for an average £3.8m a day – were suspended for a fifth day yesterday.

The disruption caused by the hack has wiped more than £500m off the stock market value of M&S in the past week as experts said it had clearly suffered a cyber-attack on a huge scale.

Industry insiders said it was rumoured the attack had originated at one of M&S's service suppliers and it was not clear whether the company had been directly targeted.

M&S said: "As you would expect, we cannot share the details of this cyber incident."