High street retailer The Works has been forced to close several locations after a cyber-attack disrupted deliveries and internal IT systems.

In total, five shops have been closed since last week after hackers gained access to computer systems to carry out malicious actions.

Customers appear to have experienced increased waiting times and been left unable to access services after the attack. Stores have also encountered issues with tills and deliveries have been suspended temporarily.

Critically, The Works said no customer card details or payment data had been compromised in the incident.

A spokesperson for the firm said that customers “can continue to shop safely at The Works, both in-store and online”.

They said: “There has been some limited disruption to trading and business operations, including the closure of some stores due to till issues.”

The spokesperson added: “All debit and credit card payment data are processed securely outside the group’s systems, via accredited third-party networks, and therefore there is no risk that this payment data has been accessed improperly.”

The group said store deliveries are expected to resume ‘imminently’ and normal online service levels are being reintroduced.

Commenting on the incident, Steven Wood, Director, EMEA, APAC, OpenText, said: “This incident highlights how critical systems used by retail organisations continue to be a prime target for cybercriminals.

“These attacks can be severely damaging, as even a few hours of disruption to systems can cause inconvenience to customers and lead to millions of pounds of losses.

“Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly challenging for IT admins and security teams to put any single process or technology in place to protect against threats – and there is no such thing as perfect security.”

Wood added that companies must start strengthening their security position by building “multiple layers” of protection, detection, and response into their business.

“Having just one layer of cyber protection is not enough to sufficiently reduce an organisation’s exposure to risk.

“Multiple layers should include securing mail servers and endpoints with the aforementioned tools, as well as implementing comprehensive cybersecurity awareness training amongst employees.

“Multi-layered cyber defences, rigorous IT hygiene and tight processes will help to protect the business, services, systems and data and help uncover weaknesses before criminals exploit them.”

Recommended

• How can we break down barriers for women entering tech?
• Leader Insights | The importance of data-centric recruitment
• New UK regulations to push adoption of stablecoins

This attack is just the latest in a string of high-profile cyber-incidents on organisations by sophisticated hackers.

Email marketing company Mailchimp suffered a data breach this week as a result of a “sophisticated” cyber-attack which saw data stolen from more than 100 customers.

In a 4th April statement the company said that hackers used internal tools to steal user data and launch secondary attacks against customers in the cryptocurrency and finance space.

In early February this year UK-based food producer KP snacks was the victim of a major ransomware attacks that had a knock-on effect on nut and crisp deliveries.

The company warned at the time that delays may last until the end of March. As such, no orders would be able to be placed for several weeks after the breach.

Get the latest news from DIGIT direct to your inbox

Our newsletter covers the latest technology and IT news from Scotland and beyond, as well as in-depth features and exclusive interviews with leading figures and rising stars.

To subscribe, click here.