Co-op members in the Western Isles have been warned that the supermarket’s recent cyber-attack compromised their names, dates of birth, and contact details.
However, a letter issued by the supermarket’s CEO, Shirine Khoury-Haq, appears to downplay the significance of hackers harvesting names and dates of birth.
A significant number of current and past members are affected by the theft of personal data from one of the Co-op’s systems. The stolen data comprises names, contact details, and dates of birth but does not include passwords, bank details, or transaction records.
However, data breaches that leak names and dates of birth can be dangerous, as they are vital information used in identity theft. Fraudsters can potentially use this data to impersonate others, open accounts in their name, or commit other forms of financial fraud.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the National Crime Agency (NCA) are investigating the breach. Co-op has apologised and is working to secure its systems, but this incident highlights the growing threat of cyberattacks on major UK retailers. Marks & Spencer and Harrods were also recently targeted.
In the meantime, cyber-security experts advise monitoring financial accounts, updating passwords, and being cautious of phishing attempts.
The Co-op letter states: “Those who have been attacking our Co-op and our systems were able to access a limited number of member data, which included name, date of birth, and contact details, but they have not been able to access any members’ financial information.
“Passwords have not been compromised, and we are not asking members to do anything differently. However, we do recommend that members take the usual steps to keep their passwords safe.”
The letter notes that there has been no significant disruption to trading and claims that “there is no impact to your account, and you can continue to trade with us as normal.”
Commenting on the recent spate of retail cyber-attacks, the National Cyber Security Centre CEO, Dr Richard Horne, said they were working closely with retailers who have reported incidents to understand the nature of the attacks and to provide expert advice to the wider sector based on the threat picture.
“These incidents should act as a wake-up call to all organisations. I urge leaders to follow the advice on the NCSC website to ensure they have appropriate measures in place to help prevent attacks and respond and recover effectively,” the cyber-security chief stated.
