Indian It Giant Investigates M&s Cyber Attack Link

An Indian IT institution is conducting an soul investigation to find whether it was nan gateway for nan cyber onslaught connected Marks & Spencer, BBC News understands.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has provided services to M&S for much than a decade.

Earlier this week, M&S said nan hackers who person brought immense disruption to nan retailer managed to summation entree to their systems via a "third party" - a institution moving alongside it - alternatively than accessing those systems directly.

M&S and TCS person some declined to comment.

The FT, which first reported nan story, cited group adjacent to nan investigation who said it was hoped nan probe would beryllium concluded by nan extremity of nan month.

It is not clear erstwhile TCS launched its investigation.

Customers person not been capable to bargain items connected nan M&S website since nan extremity of April.

It said earlier this week that online services should spot a gradual return to normal complete nan coming weeks, but immoderate level of disruption would proceed until July.

M&S estimates that nan cyber-attack will deed this year's profits by astir £300m.

Police are focusing connected a notorious group of English-speaking hackers, known arsenic Scattered Spider, nan BBC has learned.

The aforesaid group is believed to person been down attacks connected nan Co-op and Harrods, but it was M&S that suffered nan biggest impact.

TCS says it has complete 607,000 labor crossed nan world and is nan lead sponsor of 3 of nan astir prestigious marathons successful nan world - New York, London and Sydney,

On its website, TCS said it worked pinch M&S connected Sparks, its customer reward scheme.

In 2023, TCS and M&S won nan Retail Partnership of nan Year award astatine nan Retail Systems Awards.

TCS has a portfolio of well-known clients including nan Co-Op, according to its website.

There is nary denotation of nan soul probe is besides looking astatine nan hack connected nan Co-Op.

TCS besides counts easyjet, Nationwide and Jaguar Land Rover among its galore clients.

Earlier this week, M&S main executive Stuart Machin said: "Over nan past fewer weeks, we person been managing a highly blase and targeted cyber-attack, which has led to a constricted play of disruption."

In a media telephone connected Wednesday, he did not respond to a mobility astir whether nan institution had paid a ransom arsenic portion of nan process.