Thu, 01 May 2025

Thu, 01 May 2025 'They wanted $4m': Lessons for M&S from other cyber attacks

The retailer is reeling from a ransomware attack - here's what other people did when in the same situation.

* Sir Dan Moynihan, head of Harris Federation, a group of 55 schools, was hacked by Russian ransomware crime group REvil four years ago and demanded $4m (£3m) in cryptocurrency.
* The hack caused chaos, with finances affected, staff unpaid, and data stolen, including medical records, fire and phone systems.
* Sir Dan resisted paying the ransom and instead negotiated with a hostage negotiator who pretended to be an inexperienced school bursar, delaying the hackers for three months until they could rebuild their systems at a cost of £750,000.
* Catherine Deane, wedding dress designer, had her Instagram account hacked, leaving her feeling "devastating" and describing the experience as "almost traumatising".
* A hospital in London was affected by a cyber attack on pathology firm Synnovis last year, disrupting services including blood transfusions.
* M&S has been targeted with ransomware, but has only issued limited information, while its employees claim to have experienced chaos, including using paper and pen for operations.
* Other companies are watching the situation closely, with one retailer saying they are "patching like mad" to prevent similar attacks.
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