Subj : Co-op fending off hackers
To   : All
From : Mike Powell
Date : Thu May 01 2025 10:10 am

Co-op fending off hackers by shutting down IT systems

Date:
Wed, 30 Apr 2025 15:49:32 +0000

Description:
Supermarket giant Co-op is defending against an ongoing cyberattack.

FULL STORY

British supermarket Co-Op has had to take down parts of its IT systems after
discovering an attempted cyberattack, The Guardian reports. It seems hackers
are attempting to gain access to systems, and the chain is taking proactive
measures to defend against the attack, which had a small impact on the firms
back office and call centre.

This comes just days after another UK supermarket, Marks and Spencers,
suffered an outage allegedly linked to ScatteredSpider ransomware - taking
out online orders, contactless payments, and Click and Collect systems.

In a letter sent to staff, the retailer confirms it has taken steps to keep
systems safe so had pre-emptively withdrawn access to some systems for the
moment. Its not yet known if there is any link between this incident and the
M&S ransomware attack.

Unauthorised access

Retailers tend to work with a large number of third parties for logistics,
supplies, and software - making them an attractive target for criminals who
can use smaller vendors as an access point. The scope of this incident isnt
yet clear, nor is the initial attack vector.

A spokesperson for Co-Op told TechRadar Pro that all stores (including quick
commerce operations) and funeral homes are trading as usual.

We are working hard to reduce any disruption to our services and would like
to thank our colleagues, members, partners and suppliers for their
understanding during this period. We are not asking our members or customers
to do anything differently at this point. We will continue to provide updates
as necessary.

The Metropolitan police has confirmed its investigating into the M&S
cyberattack, and the chaos of the incident has reportedly cost the firm
millions of pounds in downtime and lost sales.

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/co-op-fending-off-hackers-by-shutting-d
own-it-systems

$$
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)