Victoria's Secret shares came under heavy pressure on Wednesday after a serious cybersecurity incident led to a prolonged blackout of the company's official U.S. website , leaving visitors with an apology message instead of the usual online shopping experience
According to the message on the site, the company “identified a cybersecurity incident and is taking measures to address it.” It also said that the disconnection of the website and certain functions in physical stores was done “for precautionary reasons.”
The stores remain open, but the site's non-operation is a cause for concern, as it is one of the most iconic retail brands, with digital sales being a critical part of its business model.
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Victoria’s Secret activates defense protocols
In a statement to CNN, Victoria's Secret confirmed that response protocols cybersecurity incident, while external cybersecurity partners were hired to investigate the incident.
The attack is part of a broader wave of targeted attacks against retailers, according to Richard Blech, CEO of XSOC Corp. According to CNN, several American retail companies were targeted by a notorious cybercriminal group in May, prompting the FBI to issue related alerts.
The same group is also believed to be responsible for the recent attack on Marks & Spencer in the UK – a cyberattack that caused severe disruption to the company’s digital operations and is expected to result in a loss of £300 million in operating profit by July (according to Reuters). Blech warns that the cybersecurity incident at Victoria’s Secret could be just as serious.
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Despite efforts to manage the crisis, the company has not released further details about the scope or nature of the attack. According to Bloomberg and related reports on social media, the disruption of online operations has been ongoing since at least Monday.
The attack comes at a critical time for Victoria's Secret, which is trying to regain its commercial momentum. Last year, Hillary Super - formerly head of Rihanna's Savage X Fenty - took over as CEO with the aim of redefining the company's strategy in the digitally competitive lingerie space.
The cyberattack on Victoria's Secret is indicative of a worrying and escalating phenomenon: large, recognizable organizations with a strong digital presence remain vulnerable to advanced attacks. The fact that they had to take down their entire website and disrupt operations in physical stores suggests that the incident was not a simple one. It could be a back-end breach or a widespread ransomware infection. The organization's failure to immediately isolate the incident points to weaknesses in its security architecture and recovery systems.
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Victoria's Secret and other major retailers are at a critical crossroads. The cyberattack is not just a technological incident; it's a test of their brand, their infrastructure, and their digital readiness to face the new threat landscape. If they don't radically upgrade their approach to cybersecurity, they risk losing not only sales but also their market position.
Source: edition.cnn.com
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