Louis Vuitton confirms customer data stolen in cyber attack
Louis Vuitton has confirmed that customer data from its UK operations has been stolen in a cyber-attack, marking the third security breach for parent company LVMH in just three months.
The French luxury giant disclosed that an unauthorised third party had accessed its systems and obtained personal details including names, contact information and purchase history. The brand assured customers, however, that no financial information such as bank or payment data had been compromised.
In an email to affected shoppers, Louis Vuitton warned: "While we have no evidence that your data has been misused to date, phishing attempts, fraud attempts, or unauthorised use of your information may occur."
The breach, which took place on 2 July according to Bloomberg, follows similar attacks on Louis Vuitton’s Korean operation and on fellow LVMH label Christian Dior Couture. In May, Dior revealed that hackers had accessed customer data during another attempted breach.
Louis Vuitton said it has reported the UK incident to the relevant authorities, including the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
This latest breach adds to a growing list of high-profile cyberattacks on British retailers. Four young people have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the damaging cyber-attacks against Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the individuals were arrested early last Thursday morning on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, offences linked to the Computer Misuse Act and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
The arrests included a 17-year-old British man from the West Midlands, 19-year-old Latvian man from the West Midlands, 19-year-old British man from London and 20-year-old British woman from Staffordshire.
It comes after investigations by NCA into attacks against the three retailers, where hackers sought ransom payments after breaking into their IT systems.
M&S was hit in April, with the attack forcing its online store offline for nearly seven weeks. Harrods reported unauthorised access attempts on 1 May and responded by restricting access to its website. Adidas, H&M and Victoria's Secret also reported cyberattacks in recent weeks.
