On Thursday, permanent retailer WH Smith told the City that a “cybersecurity incident resulted in the unlawful access of some company data, including current and former employee information.”
WHS Smith, which operates shops at highways and airports and train stations, said it immediately activated emergency services and notified the appropriate authorities.
WH Smith said its customer accounts and database were not affected.
In a statement to the City, it said: “WH Smith takes the issue of cyber security very seriously and investigations are underway into the issue. We are notifying all affected colleagues and have put measures in place to support them. There was no impact on the group’s trading activity. Our website, customer accounts and customer database are on separate systems unaffected by this incident.
Such attacks are a growing problem for UK businesses, with several high-profile hacks in recent weeks.
Although its website, customer accounts and customer database are unaffected, WH Smith in its statement. The company said it has launched an investigation and has informed the relevant authorities.
“WH Smith takes the issue of cyber security very seriously and investigations into the incident are ongoing,” he said.
“We are notifying all the affected colleagues and we have put measures in place to support them.”
He added: “There has been no impact on the group’s business activities.” Our website, customer accounts and customer database are on separate systems unaffected by this incident.
The retailer did not say how many current or former employees were affected by the breach earlier this week. The company employs around 10,000 people across the UK in its high street stores and at railway stations and airports.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which investigates data breaches, said it was “aware of the incident and investigating”.
Lauren Wills-Dixon, an expert in data privacy law at law firm Gordons, says retailers are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks because they hold large amounts of data on their customers and employees.
“Retailers rely so heavily on public trust and confidence that cyber threats can put them at risk, so there is enhanced reputational risk and the potential for disruption. This makes the retail sector an attractive target.”
