M&S Pauses Recruitment Amid Ongoing Cyber Attack
The high street retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has paused its recruitment process indefinitely due to an ongoing cyber attack that has been affecting its UK business for over a week.
On Thursday, the company's website revealed that it had no job openings listed anywhere across its UK business, despite having more than 200 job vacancies available just last week. The sudden absence of online job adverts has left many job seekers in limbo, wondering when they will be able to apply for their desired roles.
"While we proactively manage the cyber incident, we are temporarily pausing some of our normal processes so we can continue to work hard on offering the best M&S for our customers and colleagues," M&S told Sky News' Money team. "Job adverts will be up again in due course."
M&S employs around 65,000 people across the UK and has been battling the cyber attack since the Easter weekend, when it stopped taking click-and-collect orders and saw contactless payments impacted by the "cyber incident". However, it has since restarted contactless payments.
The company's website currently reads: "Sorry you can't search or apply for roles right now, we're working hard to be back online as soon as possible."
Background on the Cyber Attack
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that it is investigating a cyber attack involving M&S. In a separate incident, rival retailer The Co-op shut off parts of its IT systems on Wednesday after an attempted hack.
In this context, it appears that Scattered Spider – also known as the "Notorious Hackers" – are linked to the M&S cyber attack. These hackers have been responsible for several high-profile attacks in recent months and are considered to be highly sophisticated and elusive.
Consequences of the Cyber Attack
The ongoing cyber attack has had significant consequences for M&S, including an inability to take online orders, empty shelves across the country, and disrupted contactless payments.
"UK is 'widely' underestimating online threats from hostile states and criminals, cyber security chief warns," according to recent reports. This highlights the growing threat of cyber attacks on UK businesses and the need for increased vigilance.
What's Next for M&S?
M&S has promised that job adverts will be reinstated once the company has resolved its problems with online platforms. However, no specific timeline has been provided.
In the meantime, job seekers are left to wait and wonder when they will be able to apply for their desired roles. As M&S continues to work towards resolving the cyber attack, it remains to be seen how this incident will impact the company's recruitment process and overall business operations.