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The Works forced to close shops after cyber-attack

The Works was forced to temporarily close stores and stop shipping new stock after a cyber attack.

The retailer said five of its 526 stores have been closed since last week after hackers gained access to its computer systems and caused problems with its checkouts.

As a result, customers experience longer delivery times for online orders.

The company said buyers’ payment details were not compromised.

In a statement, The Works said: “Customers can continue to shop safely at The Works, both in-store and online.”

It pointed out that all debit and credit card payments are processed outside of its own systems, although it is still working out whether or not customers’ personal data could be affected.

The toy and craft store said it made “immediate changes to further strengthen its security posture” and hired cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack.

Attention was drawn to the hack last week, which was described as a “ransomware” attack, although the hackers reportedly made no demands for cash.

After learning about this, the company disabled all access to its systems, including email, as a precautionary measure.

It is working to reopen the five stores as soon as possible, while it said deliveries to the stores should resume “immediately”.

It also said normal online deliveries were gradually being reinstated and that it did not expect the attack to have a serious impact on its sales forecasts or financial position this year.

The Works said it notified the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) of the attack. The ICO can enforce fines for serious data breaches.

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