Co-op updates on recovery after cyber attack forced empty shelves

The Co-op has said food stocks will start to recover from the weekend as it battles back from a cyber attack that forced it to take key systems offline.

The member-owned group’s grocery stores, along with those of regional Co-operatives, Nisa and Costcutter – have been increasingly suffering shortages since the attack on the group was declared on 30 April.

Co-op customers found last week that while stores remained open, the number of empty shelves was expanding by the day as the mutual stopped taking many orders and sought to prioritise deliveries to remote, rural shops.

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Co-op said it had fully restored its stock ordering systems to allow for a resumption of activity within its supply chain, but admitted that it amounted to a “recovery phase” as getting back to normal would take time.

It is widely believed the group fell victim to the same hackers that targeted Marks & Spencer and Harrods towards the end of April.

Both M&S and the Co-op have admitted that personal customer data was snatched but say the thefts were limited to names and contact details, with payment details safe.

Each was unable to accept several forms of payment as they grappled to secure their respective IT systems in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, believed to be the work of a group known as Scattered Spider.

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Experts say both are set to face financial hits worth many millions of pounds.

Lost sales, the cost of clearing up the attacks and investment in new IT infrastructure to make their systems safer are among the headwinds.

M&S has been unable to accept any online business since 25 April.

A Co-op spokesperson said: “Following the malicious third-party cyber attack, we took early and decisive action to restrict access to our systems in order to protect our Co-op.

“We are now in the recovery phase and are taking steps to bring our systems gradually back online in a safe and controlled manner.”