Marks and Spencer SUSPEND website after customer details LEAK online

Marks and Spencer pulled down their website for some three hours last night

ICONIC UK retailer Marks & Spencer temporarily suspended its website last night.

 

British retailer Marks & Spencer temporarily suspended its website on Tuesday after some customers complained they saw other people's contact details when they logged onto the site.

Many feared the high street store had hit by a third-party cyber attack – similar to the devastating attack on Talk Talk earlier this month.

However Marks & Spencer has since confirmed customers who saw the wrong contact details after logging into the website were not victims of a cyber attack.

It added that customers' full credit card details and other payment information was not among the exposed information.

Unfortunately personal data, including names, dates of birth, contacts and previous orders details were exposed to strangers on the website.

 

M&S said it is still investigating the online issue.

"Due to a technical issue we temporarily suspended our website for a period last night," the firm revealed in an official statement.

"This allowed us to thoroughly investigate and resolve the issue and quickly restore service for our customers.

"We apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused."

 

Is @marksandspencer the latest victim of a cyber hack? Website suspended for 2 hours after customer details become visible after logging in

— Harriet Russell (@IC_HRussell) October 28, 2015

A spokeswoman for M&S said the website was taken down at about 18:30 GMT and was back on by around 21:00 GMT.

Earlier this month M&S launched a new members club and card scheme called "Sparks" which requires customers to register online.

Phil Barnett, VP Global at Good Technology, commented on the breach of customer data and told NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com: "Many companies are flying blind when it comes to security, because they don't think it affects them. 

"The truth is that it's not just a conversation for banks or governments anymore, 90 per cent of companies have actually experienced a hack, and recent examples like Sony and TalkTalk have proved that - anyone and everyone is a potential victim of hacks and data leaks. 

 



Customers' names, dates of birth, contacts and previous orders were exposed in the leak



"Marks and Spencer's proves that customer data breaches are real threats and have serious consequences. 

"Data is a company’s biggest asset, and as mobility becomes more ingrained across every enterprise, security must become a higher priority."

Last week British telecoms firm TalkTalk suffered a major cyber attack.

Home broadband provider Talk Talk had previously claimed names, addresses, phone numbers and credit card and account numbers were stolen in the attack – believed to be one of the biggest in British history.

However the firm later clarified that credit and debit card numbers were obfuscated, and any bank account details that were stolen were not sufficient for criminals to access accounts. 

 

Talk Talk pulled its website as soon as it realised the cyber attack was underway

The Home broadband provider has since started to inform its customers about the process in place for those who were victims of the cyber attack.

The internet firm will waive the termination fee for any customers who wish to cancel their contract with Talk Talk – but there is a catch.

Talk Talk will only waive the fee for customers who can prove they have had money stolen from them as a result of the cyber attack which took place on October 21st 2015.