Scattered Spider is focus of NCA inquiry into cyber-attacks against UK retailers
A hacker community known as Scattered Spider is a key suspect in a criminal inquiry into cyber-attacks against UK retailers including Marks & Spencer, detectives have said,Scattered Spider, a loose collective of native English-speaking cybercriminals, has been strongly linked with hacks against M&S, the Co-op and Harrods,M&S said on Wednesday it will take an estimated £300m hit to profits after its systems were hacked last month,The UK’s National Crime Agency, whose remit includes combating cybercrime, said the group was a focus in its investigations,“We are looking at the group that is publicly known as Scattered Spider, but we’ve got a range of different hypotheses and we’ll follow the evidence to get to the offenders,” Paul Foster, the head of the NCA’s national cybercrime unit, told the BBC.
He added: “In light of all the damage that we’re seeing, catching whoever is behind these attacks is our top priority,”Last week Google told the Guardian that UK-based members of Scattered Spider were actively “facilitating” cyber-attacks, as it warned that attempts to enter UK retailers’ systems were now being replicated in the US,The focus on a particular industry and geography is a common tactic of the Scattered Spider community, which communicates on platforms such as Discord and Telegram,The M&S hackers have deployed ransomware, or malicious software that locks up a target’s files, which is a cybercrime typically associated with Russian-speaking gangs and not native English speakers based in the UK or US,“We know that Scattered Spider are largely English-speaking but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re in the UK.
We know that they communicate online among themselves in a range of different platforms and channels, which is, I guess, key to their ability to then be able to operate as a collective,” Foster said.It has been reported that the hackers have used ransomware called DragonForce, in a ransomware-as-a-service operation where hackers use another group’s malware and infrastructure in exchange for a cut of any financial proceeds from the attack.Ransomware attackers demand a sum, usually paid in cryptocurrency, in exchange for unlocking any hacked files and returning stolen data.Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionAn insight into Scattered Spider’s alleged personnel was published by the US Department of Justice last year when it charged five individuals over the targeting of unnamed American companies with “phishing” text messages.All of the accused were in their 20s at the time they were charged.
It charged four people in the US, their ages ranging from 20 to 25, as well as Tyler Buchanan, a Scottish 23-year-old who has been deported to the US from Spain.Google also said that “younger members” of the network carry out some tasks, such as ringing up a company’s IT help desk and pretending to be an employee or contractor in order to gain access to computer systems.The BBC quoted a former teenage hacker who said it “wouldn’t surprise me” if teen hackers were behind the retail attacks.
Thames Water boss ordered to tell MPs if executives received bonus payments
The chief executive of Thames Water has been ordered to tell MPs whether any executives have received payments from a controversial bonus package taken from a £3bn loan.Britain’s biggest water company admitted last week that senior managers were in line for “substantial” bonuses linked to an emergency £3bn loan. Thames claimed the payouts were vital to retain staff and prevent rival companies from “picking off” its best employees. The disclosure provoked fury as the company has said its finances are “hair-raising” and that it came “very close to running out of money entirely” last year.On Tuesday, the environment secretary, Steve Reed, announced the bonuses had been withdrawn by the water company after the Guardian revealed the chair of Thames Water had wrongly claimed they were insisted upon by creditors
M&S contractor ‘investigating whether it was gateway for cyber-attack’
An Indian company that operates Marks & Spencer’s IT helpdesk is reportedly investigating whether it was used by cybercriminals to gain access to systems at the retailer, which is battling a devastating hack.M&S said this week that “threat actors” had gained access to the retailer’s systems through one of its contractors – understood to be Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).The clothing, food and homeware retailer confirmed the hackers used “social engineering” techniques to attack them, such as posing as a staff member to fool a helpdesk into giving away passwords.TCS, which has worked with M&S for more than a decade, has been helping the retailer with its inquiries into the cyber-attack, which began over the Easter weekend. The retailer said the attack could cost it up to £300m in profit
Sunny spring drives biggest jump in retail sales in Great Britain in four years
Sunny spring weather sent shoppers flocking to supermarkets and specialists such as butchers, bakers and alcohol outlets last month, fuelling the strongest quarterly jump in retail sales in Great Britain in almost four years.Retail sales volumes rose by 1.2% in April, well above City forecasts of an increase of between 0.2% and 0.4%, marking the fourth straight month of sales growth
UK private sector shrinking as firms cut jobs; pressure to raise taxes as government borrowing jumps – as it happened
Britain’s private sector is shrinking for the second month running as factory output falls at the fastest rate in a year and a half, a new survey shows.The latest poll of purchasing managers at UK companies found that private sector output is decreasing in May, although at a slower rate than in April.Manufacturing production fell at the fastest rate since October 2023, although this was moderated by a “fractional rise” in service sector output.UK firms reported that clients were cautious this month, due to business uncertainty, leading to a drop in new orders. However, worries about US tariffs have dropped this month, after Donald Trump delayed tariffs on America’s trading partners and agreed a trade deal with the UK
UK petrol prices poised to fall further as oil prices tumble
Global oil prices have tumbled by more than $1 a barrel in a sign that pressure on households at the petrol pumps could ease further.The price of Brent crude fell to $63.86 a barrel on Thursday following reports that the Opec oil cartel and its allies may increase their production for July, despite weaker global demand for fossil fuels.The price of crude is now well below the $80.53 a barrel average recorded last year, a fall that has helped to put pump prices at their lowest level in almost four years
Ministers said to be considering bill to wipe out British Steel’s debts
Ministers are reportedly considering legislation to relieve British Steel of debts that have risen to nearly £1bn, as the government considers how best to prepare the Scunthorpe steelworks for sale.The government took control of the business last month after it said its Chinese owner, Jingye Steel, planned to close the plant within days. The move required emergency legislation that was passed in a historic recall of parliament.Jingye remains the legal owner of British Steel, despite the takeover, and is owed money by the company. Those debts would probably have been wiped out in a liquidation
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