Harrods Faces Second Cyber Breach, Compromising Data of 430,000 Customers

Harrods suffers its second cyber attack in four months. The British department store group suffered a new cyber attack on Friday that has compromised the data of 430,000 customers, including names and contact details. The perpetrators of the attack have contacted the company, which has not provided details about the message.

The British company announced to its customers on Friday night about the theft of data in a computer security breach, in which names and contact details of 430,000 users were extracted by an external provider, but no passwords or payment details were compromised.

Marketing preferences, loyalty cards and links to other companies were also affected, although, according to the company spokesperson, “it is unlikely that this information would be accurately interpreted by an unauthorized third party.“

Harrods, Marks&Spencers and Co-op Group suffered a related cyber-attack last May.ç

Harrods stated that this incident is not related to the one suffered last May, which forced the company to cut Internet access at its offices, although the company assured that the impact was minimal and none of the stores and premises, as well as its website, were affected.

Cyber attacks over the last few years have increased to the point where they have become a major nuisance for companies in all sectors, from sports to beauty, with a particular impact on luxury. By 2025 alone, the estimated cost to companies of cyberattacks will reach $10.5 trillion, up 300% from a decade ago, according to the latest data from McKinsey.

Following the cyber attacks that rocked British industry last June and affected companies such as Co-op Group, Marks&Spencers, as well as Harrods itself, the UK’s National Crime Agency declared that the three cases were related and arrested four suspects common to all the incidents.