Posted on 05/30/2025 7:11:30 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Retailers have been plagued by cyber-attacks.
The news just arrived this week that the website of Adidas had been hacked. Consumer information may have been stolen from the sportswear giant.
Their website carries this announcement:
adidas recently became aware that an unauthorized external party obtained certain consumer data through a third-party customer service provider. We immediately took steps to contain the incident and launched a comprehensive investigation, collaborating with leading information security experts.
Many of us have received emails from retailers or other businesses containing statements like this. We are told there has been a “breach”; in extreme cases, they offer to provide identity theft protection or monitoring for those who may have been affected.
In Britain, several recent high-profile incidents have left consumers wondering just how safe these websites are. In April, major retailer Marks and Spencer had to stop taking online orders after their site was hacked. To say this is a big deal is an understatement. Marks and Spencer has an annual global revenue of £13 billion, with over 9 million active online customers in Britain. While they anticipate a “gradual” return to full-operations, the impact of the hack is likely to linger until July.
According to the BBC, the group that might be behind the breach is called “Scattered Spider,” and they have previously attacked other British businesses including Harrods. This type of attack is particularly damaging in Britain, because such a high proportion of retail sales take place online—26.5%, compared to 18.8% in the USA (and well ahead of the European average of 15.4%). Britons also spend 9% of their incomes online.
When another UK supermarket chain, Co-op, was hacked earlier this month, it didn’t just affect online shopping. Their supply logistics went down, leaving empty shelves in stores, and payment systems disabled, meaning some branches could only take cash.
Starmer IS a hack….
Moe Howard would say about the heartless shoe company hacker:
“The heel has no soul.”
Gee, I wonder why that is?
Scattered Spider is vicious and methodical. Their attacks are nuanced and VERY effective. Unfortunately despite decades of warnings by not just Microsoft but a host of other cyber-aligned entities, agencies are still failing even basic security assessments and getting caught up in the minutiae of change control and risk assessments.
Once these agencies are hacked, their hands are forced, but at what cost?
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