Harrods has been hit by a cyber-attack, making it the third big name in British retail to be targeted by digital ne'er-do-wells in recent weeks, following hits on Marks & Spencer and the Co-op.
The upmarket London department store said: “We recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems. Our seasoned IT security team immediately took proactive steps to keep systems safe and as a result we have restricted internet access at our sites today.”
Customers were still able to access its website and all its physical sites, including its flagship Knightsbridge store, airport concessions and H beauty stores, according to a story first reported by Sky News.
The retailer said it did not suspect data had been accessed.
M&S has been the worst hit of the trio, having first been infected with digital gremlins almost two weeks ago, and has been battling problems ever since, with store product availability affected and online orders paused since last Friday.
A ransomware attack has been reported, linked to a piratical online group apparently calling themselves Scattered Spider, demanding cash in return for jumping ship.
"Detectives from the Met's cyber crime unit are investigating," M&S said in a statement this week.
Coop said on Wednesday that it had shut down parts of its IT systems in response to hackers attempting to gain access, while later telling workers on team video calls to keep their cameras on, suggesting suspicions that some of the wrongdoers might be insiders or have infiltrated the member-controlled organisation.