M&S boss issues huge online shopping update for customers after crippling cyber attack
MARKS and Spencer's boss has issued a huge online shopping update following the crippling cyber attack.
The posh supermarket said it hopes to have its online operations running "fully" within four weeks.
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Speaking at M&S's annual general meeting today, chief executive Stuart Machin confirmed that half of the retailer's online services have now been restored.
However some services like click and collect are still unavailable.
"Within the next four weeks we are hoping for the whole of online to be fully on," he said.
The next focus will be on getting its Donington distribution centre back up and running.
Mr Machin added: "We're hoping that by August we will have the vast majority of this behind us and people can see the true M&S."
M&S previously said it expected the disruption to continue into July.
The massive cyber attack, which kicked off over Easter weekend, was one of the worst to hit the high street in years.
M&S was forced to suspend online orders and also had major issues with Click and Collect, gift vouchers and its supply chain.
Meal deals were pulled in some branches and others were out of staples like bananas.
Customer information was also nicked during the breach.
In the last three weeks M&S has started bringing back its online shopping.
It started by letting customers in England, Scotland and Wales place orders on some of its fashion ranges.
Last week the retailer reintroduced a selection of third-party brands on its website including Adidas, Asics and New Balance.
It also reduced its standard home delivery wait times from 10 days to five for customers in England, Scotland and Wales.
However click and collect, next day delivery and UK nominated day delivery for clothes are still unavailable.
Plus, some iconic products are still unavailable online.
These include Clinique foundations and the famous Colin the Caterpillar cakes.
Notorious hacking group DragonForce is thought to have been behind the attack.
The hackers are said to have emailed Mr Machin and seven other key M&S executives with a terrifying message calling for ransom money.
The M&S boss later said he "went into shock" after first leaning of the attack.
The attack is believed to have cost M&S £300million, but it said the "gross costs" will likely be halved because of insurance and the retailer's own savings.
He also admitted in an interview with The Sun that hackers had dealt a heavy blow to M&S's turnaround but he was confident it could get back to normal.
He described the early stages of the crisis as going into "survival mode".
A CYBER attack is any deliberate attempt to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorised access to computer systems, networks, or digital devices.
These attacks can target individuals, businesses, or even governments, and their motives can range from financial gain to political disruption.
Cyber attacks can take many forms, employing various techniques to achieve their malicious goals.
Common types of cyber attacks include:
- Malware: Malicious software designed to damage or gain control of a system. Examples include viruses, worms, ransomware, and spyware.
- Phishing: Deceptive attempts to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details, often through fake emails or websites.
- Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks: Flooding a network or server with traffic to overwhelm its resources and make it unavailable to legitimate users.
- SQL Injection: Exploiting vulnerabilities in website databases to gain unauthorised access to data.
- Ransomware: Malware that encrypts a victim's data and demands a ransom for its release.
- Social Engineering: Manipulating individuals into performing actions or divulging confidential information.
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