Luxury retailer Harrods confirms customer information taken in cyber incident
Cyber security has been big news in the UK this year, with businesses from retail to automotive facing attempted breaches and service disruption. Experts warn that attacks are becoming ever more sophisticated and damaging.
In recent months, high-profile incidents have included the ongoing disruption to Jaguar Land Rover’s global production lines, and well published breaches of Marks & Spencer and the Co-op in the summer. Now luxury department store Harrods has confirmed that customer data had been exposed through a third-party service provider.
According to the BBC, the retailer contacted affected customers by email, explaining that names and contact information may have been taken, although no passwords or payment card details were included.
Harrods unbreached
In its statement Harrods said: “The third party has confirmed this is an isolated incident which has been contained, and we are working closely with them to ensure that all appropriate actions are being taken. We have notified all relevant authorities.”
The store was at pains to stress that its own systems had not been breached.
Harrrods also added that the case was not linked to an attempted cyber attack in May, when it restricted internet access across its sites after detecting suspicious activity.
That earlier episode was claimed by the same hacker group that also said it targeted other retailers.
Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that these threats should not be dismissed as abstract.
“Increasingly the attackers are getting good at causing those impacts, they're refining their techniques,” he explained. “These criminal attackers... they don't care who they hit, and they don't care how they hurt them. All organizations, big and small, regardless of whether you think of yourself as critical to the nation or not, to protect you and to protect your customers there are things that have to be done to secure your system.”
What do you think about Harrods’ handling of the breach? Let us know in the comments.
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