---
title: "Marks & Spencer security incident"
description: "What the retained public evidence establishes about the Marks & Spencer incident, its attack path, impact, and response."
incident_type: "Cybersecurity incident"
status: "active"
last_modified: "2026-09-19"
canonical_url: "https://www.ally.security/incidents/marks-and-spencer-security-incident-2025"
markdown_url: "https://www.ally.security/incidents/marks-and-spencer-security-incident-2025.md"
stix_url: "https://www.ally.security/incidents/marks-and-spencer-security-incident-2025/stix.json"
---

# Marks & Spencer security incident

DragonForce ransomware / Scattered Spider social engineering; initial access reportedly via a third-party contractor (TCS). Online ordering halted approximately 7 weeks; contactless payment and click-and-collect disrupted; first-ever profit warning tied to cyber.

Last modified Sep 19, 2026 · 1 source

## Summary

- **Environment:** Retail
- **Operational impact:** Online ordering halted approximately 7 weeks; contactless payment and click-and-collect disrupted; first-ever profit warning tied to cyber
- **Financial impact:** Est. £300-400M

## What happened

In 2025, Marks & Spencer experienced an incident in its retail environment. The retained source describes the attack path as follows: DragonForce ransomware / Scattered Spider social engineering; initial access reportedly via a third-party contractor (TCS). [1](#source-1)

The documented consequence was: Online ordering halted approximately 7 weeks; contactless payment and click-and-collect disrupted; first-ever profit warning tied to cyber. [1](#source-1)

## Impact

- Documented impact: Online ordering halted approximately 7 weeks; contactless payment and click-and-collect disrupted; first-ever profit warning tied to cyber. [1](#source-1)
- Documented financial consequence: Est. £300-400M. [1](#source-1)

## Threat Group & Attack Vector

The retained source describes the attack path as follows: DragonForce ransomware / Scattered Spider social engineering; initial access reportedly via a third-party contractor (TCS). The canonical record does not add intrusion steps beyond those supported by the source. [1](#source-1)

### Actors

- **Scattered Spider** — identified in the supported attack description. [1](#source-1)

### TTPs

- [T1486 — Data Encrypted for Impact](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1486/) — mapped from the cited behavior. [1](#source-1)

## Response

The retained source describes a forensic or specialist investigation of the incident. [1](#source-1)

This account is bounded to [Full Year Results for 52 Weeks Ended 29 March 2025](https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/sites/marksandspencer/files/05-2025/fy25-rns.pdf). Details absent from that evidence are left unresolved rather than inferred. [1](#source-1)

## Assets

[Download the case-scoped STIX 2.1 bundle](<https://www.ally.security/incidents/marks-and-spencer-security-incident-2025/stix.json>)

## Sources

Primary source records used to research this incident.

<a id="source-1"></a>

### Full Year Results for 52 Weeks Ended 29 March 2025

official · Marks & Spencer

<https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/sites/marksandspencer/files/05-2025/fy25-rns.pdf>

<details>
<summary>Evidence ledger</summary>

Review the supporting structured claims.

1. **Resulted In · 90% confidence · current**  
   Marks & Spencer security incident: The retained source describes a forensic or specialist investigation of the incident.
2. **Resulted In · 100% confidence · current**  
   Marks & Spencer security incident: The reviewed source documents the marks & spencer security incident involving Marks & Spencer.
3. **Resulted In · 92% confidence · current**  
   Marks & Spencer security incident: Est. £300-400M.
4. **Used Attack Technique · 90% confidence · current**  
   Marks & Spencer security incident: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1486/
5. **Resulted In · 83% confidence · current**  
   Marks & Spencer security incident: Online ordering halted approximately 7 weeks; contactless payment and click-and-collect disrupted; first-ever profit warning tied to cyber.
6. **Affected Organization · 100% confidence · current**  
   Marks & Spencer security incident: Marks & Spencer
7. **Resulted In · 83% confidence · current**  
   Marks & Spencer security incident: DragonForce ransomware / Scattered Spider social engineering; initial access reportedly via a third-party contractor (TCS).

</details>