A popular UK retailer, The Works, got struck by hackers

April 8, 2022
UK Retailer The Works Hackers Cyberattack

One of the United Kingdom’s biggest high street retailers named The Works has temporarily shut down some of its branch stores after a cybersecurity incident had occurred in their systems. A group of hackers obtained unauthorised access to the retailer’s system based on reports.

According to an announcement released by the affected retail firm, the incident has caused issues with payment processes, resulting in the closure of some stores. The company has more than 500 stores across the UK, selling cut-price books, stationaries, and art and craft materials.

There have been some limited numbers of disruptions to business operations and trading, including the shutdown of some stores due to payment issues. The store also stated that the restocking of deliveries to its branches was suspended temporarily, and their office extended the standard delivery process to fulfill online purchases. However, store deliveries are expected by consumers to resume immediately, and the usual online services are slowly recovering.

Some stores were reported only to accept cash, while other customers suffered from more extended delivery periods for online orders.

 

The Works assured its online customers that they were not affected by any data exposure despite the security incident.

 

All debit card and credit card payments are processed carefully outside their systems via third-party networks. Online customers are assured that they are not affected by any data exposure.

The Works stated that they have already alerted their teams by operating its security firewall and have deactivated all internal and external access to its systems, such as emails. Additionally, all the disabled systems mentioned earlier will be temporarily blocked by the company while they investigate the hack with the aid of cybersecurity experts.

The Works has not revealed that it encountered a ransomware attack, and there is no trace of any demand for cash from the hackers. However, several media outlets say that sources affiliated with the incident are stating that ransomware struck computer systems after an employee became a victim of a malware-laden email.

The retail firm indicated that it had conducted immediate protective changes to strengthen its security and informed authorities of the breach.

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