THREE teenagers and a woman have been arrested as part of an investigation into cyber attacks targeting Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the individuals were arrested early this morning on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, offences linked to the Computer Misuse Act.
ReutersM&S suffered from months of disruption earlier this year, following a cyber attack[/caption]
GettyThe Co-op had also reported suffering a cyber attack in May, with customers’ private details being stolen[/caption]
GettyHarrods says it had to enforce ‘restricted internet access’ after an attempted breach last month which left some customers struggling to pay[/caption]
They were also arrested on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
The four arrested include a 17-year-old British man from the West Midlands, 19-year-old Latvian man from the West Midlands, 19-year-old British man from London and 20-year-old British woman from Staffordshire.
Head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit Paul Foster said: “Since these attacks took place, specialist NCA cybercrime investigators have been working at pace and the investigation remains one of the agency’s highest priorities.
“Today’s arrests are a significant step in that investigation but our work continues, alongside partners in the UK and overseas, to ensure those responsible are identified and brought to justice.
“Cyber attacks can be hugely disruptive for businesses and I’d like to thank M&S, Co-op and Harrods for their support to our investigations.
“Hopefully this signals to future victims the importance of seeking support and engaging with law enforcement as part of the reporting process. The NCA and policing are here to help.”
All four suspects remain in custody for questioning by officers from the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit in relation to the three attacks, which took place in April.
This comes after the boss of M&S revealed that hacker groups “Scattered Spider” and “DragonForce” were behind the cyber attack that shut down its online shopping.
The store’s online retailing was crippled for six weeks, following the attack in April.
Not only did click-and-collect services across UK stores go down but customer information was also stolen.
In May, Harrods reported it had to enforce “restricted internet access” after an attempted breach, leaving some customers struggling to pay.
The luxury department store was hit by an attack just days after the supermarket chain Co-op suffered a similar breach.
Online orders from the Co-op were suspended after a cyber attack disabled the company for a fortnight – with supermarket stock and customer data both affected.
Eventually, systems were restored in May as part of a “gradual recovery phase”.
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AlamyThree teenagers and a woman, 20, have been arrested over cyber attacks on a number of UK businesses[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
