Marks & Spencer staff data stolen in cyber attack

Marks & Spencer has warned staff that some of their personal data was stolen as part of the cyberattack that has severely disrupted its operations.

Sources said bosses had told employees they believed email addresses and full names had been taken as part of the hack, according to The Telegraph.

It comes after the retail giant warned customers to beware of scam calls and emails after announcing their data may have been breached as part of the attack.

Customer personal data, which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth, was taken by hackers.

Investors will be hoping that Marks & Spencer can shed light later this week on the impact of the damaging cyber attack which has halted all online orders at the retail giant.

The company will unveil its financial performance for the past year in an update to the stock market on Wednesday.

However, attention will be sharply focused on how the company is coping after weeks of disruption.

It is a month since the retailer was first impacted by a major "cyber incident", reported to be linked to hacking group Scattered Spider.

The company has paused online orders for the past three weeks as a result, while payments and click and collect orders were also impacted.

M&S saw availability in stores also knocked by the disruption, causing some empty shelves as it changed parts of its IT systems, but said this was recovering quickly in an update last Thursday.

The retailer has not yet divulged the financial cost of the incident, but is believed to have missed out on tens of millions of pounds in sales.

Analysts have said shareholders will be eagerly awaiting the firm’s guidance on profits and revenues for the current year as a result.

Analysts at Barclays have suggested the cyber attack could result in a £200 million cost for the 2025/26 financial year but that this is likely to be offset by an insurance payout of around £100 million.

The attack knocked the business after a positive period under the leadership of Stuart Machin, with shares striking an almost nine-year-high last month before a recent drop in value.