Marks & Spencer has confirmed “pockets of limited availability” across some of its stores following a cyber attack that temporarily disrupted parts of its IT systems.
The British retailer has been grappling with the fallout from the cyber incident for over a week, which wiped millions off its market value.
Here’s what we know so far about the M&S cyber attack.
What happened in the M&S cyber attack?
Marks & Spencer first revealed the cyber attack on Monday, April 21, after customers reported payment issues and delays receiving online orders.
In an email to shoppers, M&S chief executive Stuart Machin wrote: “Over the last few days, M&S has been managing a cyber incident. To protect you and the business, it was necessary to temporarily make some small changes to our store operations, and I am sincerely sorry if you experienced any inconvenience.
“Importantly, our stores remain open, and our website and app are operating as normal. There is no need for you to take any action at this time, and if the situation changes, we will let you know.”
M&S employs about 64,000 people and operates more than 1,400 stores globally
PA Wire
“This is a pretty bad episode of ransomware,” he said.
“It is a highly disruptive event and a very difficult one for them to deal with.”
“I would suggest there is a high level of confidence this is a ransomware-style event,” Dan Card, cyber expert at BCS, the chartered institute for IT, told the BBC.
“I describe these as like a digital bomb has gone off. So recovering from them is often both technically and logistically challenging… the victim organisation is likely going to be working around the clock to respond and recover.”
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that locks or encrypts a victim’s data and demands payment, usually in cryptocurrency, to restore access.
Who was behind the M&S cyber attack?
It said the group was suspected of breaching M&S systems as early as February 2025, allegedly stealing the Windows domain’s NTDS.dit file—a sensitive database containing user credentials. They are also believed to have used ransomware to encrypt parts of M&S’s infrastructure.
Also called UNC3944, Octo Tempest or Muddled Libra, Scattered Spider is reportedly known for employing advanced social engineering tactics, including phishing and multi-factor authentication (MFA) fatigue attacks, to infiltrate large organisations.
Phishing tricks users into revealing sensitive information, while MFA fatigue involves bombarding users with repeated login requests in hopes they’ll approve one out of frustration or confusion.
Hackers from the renowned Scattered Spider group were reportedly behind the M&S cyber attack
Alamy/PA
“Scattered Spider is one of the most dangerous and active hacking groups we are monitoring,” Graeme Stewart, the head of public sector at security company Check Point, told Sky News.
“Since they first appeared in 2022, they have been linked to more than 100 targeted attacks across industries such as telecoms, finance, retail and gaming.”
BleepingComputer reported that DragonForce ransomware was deployed to VMware ESXi hosts on April 24 to encrypt virtual machines. The group reportedly gained access to M&S systems and remained undetected for weeks.
Scattered Spider reportedly comprises young hackers, some as young as 16, who frequent hacker forums, Telegram channels, and Discord servers. Some members are also believed to be linked to the “Com”, a loosely affiliated community known for cyber and real-world criminal activity that has drawn media attention.
What impact has the cyber attack had on M&S?
Nayna McIntosh, a former M&S executive and founder of Hope Fashion, said the decision to halt online orders was comparable to “cutting off a limb.”
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the pause on online orders would be “hugely damaging for sales”.
“Fashion sales are likely to take a big hit, particularly as the attack has come during the spell of warm weather when summer ranges would ordinarily be piling up in virtual baskets,” she added. “While other retailers have not been immune to IT breaches, the depth of Marks and Spencer’s problems in resolving the issue are worrying, and it may take some time to win back some warier shoppers.”
Shares fell 2.2 per cent to 377.3p on Monday morning after more than £700 million was wiped from the company’s market value since the cyber attack.