UK retailer Co-op shuts down some IT systems after hack attempt

British supermarket chain Co-op shut down parts of its IT systems after detecting an attempted intrusion into its network, disrupting back office and call center services.

While A Co-op spokesperson confirmed the hacking attempts to BleepingComputer, they have not shared whether these attempts were successful.

"We have recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorized access to some of our systems," stated a Co-op spokesperson.

"As a result, we have taken proactive steps to keep our systems safe, which has resulted in a small impact on some of our back office and call center services."

Co-op is a UK supermarket chain operating over 3700 branches across the country, having a reported annual revenue of nearly $10 billion. The entity is a consumer-owned co-operative with over 6,200,000 members as of last year.

In addition to its own stores, Co-op supplies products to over 5,100 other outlets, including those run by independent co-operative societies, through its wholesale business.

Co-says that attempted hacks caused some disruption to their services, but the stores, its quick commerce operations, and funeral homes are operating as normal.

At this time, no details about the nature of the attack are known, and there are no announcements from threat actors claiming the attack.

UK retail under attack

The cyberattack at Co-op comes shortly after Marks & Spencer (M&S), another well-known British multinational retailer operating 1,400 stores worldwide, announced they suffered a cyberattack.

In response to the attack, M&S was forced to suspend all online orders, which is expected to impact the company's financial performance.

The attack at M&S was eventually attributed to the threat actors classified as "Scattered Spider," who deployed the DragonForce ransomware on the company's networks.