M&S, Co-op & Harrods All Hit by Cyber Attacks
Major Social Engineering Cyber Attacks Occurred Over The Past 2 Weeks
In a troubling wave of cyber attacks, criminals posing as IT help desks are infiltrating major British retailers, including Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods, and are warning there may be more attacks to come. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued urgent guidance, warning businesses to strengthen their authentication methods for password resets.
These attackers use social engineering (a deceptive tactic that tricks employees into revealing login credentials) to impersonate IT support. In doing so, they convince staff to hand over security details or claim to be locked out of their accounts. This method has led to significant data breaches, including a confirmed attack on Co-op that compromised customer information.
Cyber security experts recommend adding layers of protection, such as code words during authentication, to ensure that only legitimate employees can access sensitive data.
“Having code words that get used when an employee phones up to change their credentials, such as “BluePenguin”, is one thing being discussed in the cyber community as a way to check that the member of staff is genuine,” – Lisa Forte, Red Goat (cyber security firm)
The latest attacks bear the hallmarks of a notorious hacking collective known as Scattered Spider, though some criminals involved claim to be part of a separate group, DragonForce.
With hackers growing more sophisticated, organisations must look out for unusual login patterns and suspicious attempts to access data. The NCSC continues to collaborate with affected businesses and law enforcement to trace the source of these cyber threats.
Don’t be next. Get in touch with our cyber security team here at Logic for key advice and security products, designed to make sure this does not happen to your business too.
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