Marks & Spencer instructs temporary staff to work remotely following a cybersecurity incident
Rewritten Article:
Marks & Spencer's (M&S) gigantic distribution center is reeling from a prolonged cyberattack, causing hundreds of agency workers to sit this one out.ources close to the retail titan have spilled the beans that roughly 200 agency workers, slated for shift duties at M&S's colossal Castle Donington clothing and homewares logistics center in the East Midlands, have been ordered to keep their butts at home.
These temporary workers make up approximately 20% of the Castle Donington workforce, according to our insider.
M&S's own employees working at the site have been given the green light to show up for work as usual, the source revealed.
"There's stuff for them to do," they added.
Last week, M&S made it public that it was cancelling online orders due to the cyberattack, but details about the attack have been kept under wraps.
In its latest briefing to investors, the company declared on Friday that its product range was "available to browse online," and its brick-and-mortar stores were open for customers.
"We're proactively managing the incident, and the M&S team - backed by top-notch experts - is doing everything in its power to restore online operations and serve customers effectively," it said.
It remains unclear just how long M&S's e-commerce operations will be impacted by this cyberattack. Retail execs believe the attack is "extensive" and it might take some time for M&S to fully recover.
Shares in M&S tumbled an additional 2.4% on Monday, following a significant drop last week, as investors responded to the lack of positive news about the incident. M&S declined to comment further.
Money Matters:Vet hits back at critics over pricing concerns
Breaking News:Get the latest updates first by downloading our appfor free!
Additional Information:- The attack has been simmering for over a week, with online orders still on hold as of April 28[1][3].- Agency staff account for about 20% of Castle Donington's workforce[1][3].- Share prices have plummeted a staggering 8% in five days (as of April 28), resulting in a market value loss of over £150m during early trading that day[1][3].- The attack initially disrupted contactless payments and click-and-collect services, escalating to a full-blown e-commerce shutdown[1][3]. Remote employees remain barred from internal systems, signaling ongoing network containment efforts[2][3].- M&S has reported the incident to data protection authorities and the National Cyber Security Centre[1][2], but nodata breach has been confirmed[1][2]. Cybersecurity analysts suspect this to be a likely ransomware attack involving credential abuse or phishing[2][4].
- The ongoing cyberattack at Marks & Spencer's (M&S) distribution center, which has been simmering for over a week, has forced the temporary workforce, making up about 20% of the Castle Donington workforce, to stay at home, leaving the site's online orders on hold.
- The attack, believed to be an extensive ransomware attack involving credential abuse or phishing by cybersecurity analysts, has caused a significant drop in M&S's share prices, leading to a market value loss of over £150m.
- The retail giant, in its latest briefing to investors, assured that its product range was "available to browse online," and its brick-and-mortar stores were open for customers, while proactively managing the incident with the help of top-notch experts.
- As the unfolding situation adds more financial strain to M&S's business, the company's executives are warned to take the time needed to fully recover from the attack, given the extensive damage caused to its e-commerce operations. Technology, in this case, has become a double-edged sword, providing both convenience and threat.
