H&M ‘investigating claims it was hit by cyber attack’

H&M is reportedly examining claims that it was targeted by a cybercriminal last week.

According to The Times on Monday, the Swedish fashion retailer said it is looking into a potential security incident linked to a group called Shinyhunters.

The hacking collective previously claimed involvement in a major cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover last summer, alongside groups Scattered Spider and Lapsus.

It also reportedly demanded a £400,000 ransom to stop data being sold following a 2024 attack on Ticketmaster.

An H&M Group spokeswoman told The Times: “We are aware of the claims circulating online regarding a potential cybersecurity incident involving a limited scope of H&M Group data.

“Protecting the security of our systems and data is of utmost importance to us.”

She added: “We are currently investigating these claims to assess their validity and so far we have no indication that our data environment has been compromised.

“We take any potential threat to our systems and data seriously and as this work is ongoing, we are unable to provide further details at this time.

The H&M group, which has 4,000 stores in more than 80 markets, has a roster of fashion and homeware brands including Cos, Weekday, & Other Stories and Arket.

The retailer has been contacted for comment.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data watchdog, had not received a report on the incident as at Monday lunchtime, according to the report.

Organisations must report personal data breaches to the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of them, unless they do not pose a risk to people’s rights and freedoms.

It is not known whether the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ, has been contacted.

Companies are not legally required to directly notify the NCSC about cyber security incidents.

H&M shares were down 1.5 per cent on Monday.

Last month, the company said net sales had increased to 57.2 billion Swedish krona (£4.4 billion) between June and September, which was 1 per cent higher than the year before.

It marked a return to growth after sales declined by 3 per cent over the first half of the financial year.

H&M could have been the latest group targeted by hackers, after fast fashion business Asos last week said an “unauthorised party” had gained access to some personal data, including names and contact details.

Last Tuesday, Asos customers received a phone alert saying that the retailer had been hacked, which claimed the data storage firm Snowflake had been compromised.

The retailer, which has 16.5 million customers, stressed no payment card information or account passwords were accessed.

Snowflake later said the breach was not caused by a vulnerability or flaw with its platform.