Retailer Tesco has this morning restored access to their website after a hacker attack left consumers unable to book or amend deliveries over the weekend.
The attack, which happened overnight from Friday to Saturday, caused issues with the search function, and led to disruption for both customers and the retailer.
Tesco receives 1.3m online orders a week from the site, and customers were quick to voice their unhappiness on social media.
The retailer has been quick to reassure clients that data security was not breached, saying in a statement:
“There is no reason to believe that this issue impacts customer data and we continue to take ongoing action to make sure all data stays safe.”
The website is back up but time will tell whether the hack has affected customer confidence.
Cyber security expert James Bore, director at online security experts, Bores Group, explains how businesses can prevent, prepare for and handle cyber attacks like this:
“The security hygiene of even the biggest firms can be surprisingly inadequate. With that in mind, making sure relevant staff are well trained and prepared for cyber attacks, that systems are patched and updated, and that people know what to do in multiple different scenarios is key.
“The best thing that can be done is to have security front of mind when you are actually designing systems and processes. Trying to apply secure practices after the build is like attempting to waterproof a sieve.
“One of the key preventative measures brands can take against hackers is to practice different incidents with security experts on an ongoing basis.
“Running through what might happen and preparing for as many potential scenarios as possible highlights the causes and remedies before they actually matter.”
