Co-op shuts some IT systems after attempted cyber-attack

Co-op has been forced to shut down parts of its IT system after discovering an attempted hack only days after Marks & Spencer faced a serious cyber-incident.

- Sarah Butler

In a letter to staff sent on Tuesday and seen by the Guardian, the company said it had "taken steps to keep systems safe" so had "pre-emptively withdrawn access to some systems for the moment".

The group, which owns more than 2,000 grocery stores and 800 funeral homes, said the measures included the shutdown of some business services for teams running stores and its legal services division.

The stock monitoring system is understood to be one of those affected. One well-placed source said gaps could soon appear on shelves in some areas if the problem was not resolved fairly swiftly. Some staff were not able to work from home yesterday after remote access to some systems was blocked, the source said.

Co-op said all its stores, including rapid home deliveries, were trading as usual, as were its funeral homes.

The National Cyber Security Centre said it was "working with the Co-operative Group to support their response to a cyber-incident".