Mounting cyberattacks aimed at major UK retailers have prompted a strong warning from Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden, who called the incidents a wake-up call" for companies in the UK, The Independent reports.
Following incidents against Marks & Spencer and Harrods, McFadden will emphasize at the upcoming CyberUK conference that cybersecurity must be treated with the same seriousness as physical security. M&S, which employs 65,000 people, had to disable online orders, halt recruitment, and temporarily suspend contactless payments due to the breach. The Co-op Group also responded to an attempted cyberattack by restricting parts of its IT systems. The National Cyber Security Centre is investigating, and the Metropolitan Police has launched a probe into the M&S breach. McFadden will also outline plans for the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which aims to empower the Technology Secretary, strengthen obligations for over 1,000 IT providers, and mandate broader cyber incident reporting across regulated sectors.
Following incidents against Marks & Spencer and Harrods, McFadden will emphasize at the upcoming CyberUK conference that cybersecurity must be treated with the same seriousness as physical security. M&S, which employs 65,000 people, had to disable online orders, halt recruitment, and temporarily suspend contactless payments due to the breach. The Co-op Group also responded to an attempted cyberattack by restricting parts of its IT systems. The National Cyber Security Centre is investigating, and the Metropolitan Police has launched a probe into the M&S breach. McFadden will also outline plans for the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which aims to empower the Technology Secretary, strengthen obligations for over 1,000 IT providers, and mandate broader cyber incident reporting across regulated sectors.
