Co-op cyber attack hackers stole 'significant number of' customers' personal data

A cyber-attack on Co-op has led to a "significant number of" customers having their .

The major supermarket said "malicious" were ongoing, and that it continues dealing with a "highly complex" situation. It comes after was on Wednesday following an attempted break-in by hackers, with business services for teams running stores, its legal services division and some stock monitoring systems all targeted. In a letter sent to staff, representatives of the firm said they had "pre-emptively withdrawn access to some systems for the moment" in order to "keep systems safe".

The stolen data includes personal details including names, contact details and dates of birth - but it does not include bank or credit card details, transaction information or members' passwords. Co-op has re-assured its customers that it has applied measures to "minimise disruption" for members, shoppers, colleagues and partners.

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The retailer said in a statement: "We appreciate that our members have placed their trust in our Co-op when providing information to us. Protecting the security of our members' and customers' data is a priority, and we are very sorry that this situation has arisen."

In an initial statement on Wednesday, a Co-op spokesperson said: "We have recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems. As a result, we have taken proactive steps to keep our systems safe, which has resulted in a small impact to some of our back office and call centre services.

"We are working hard to reduce any disruption to our services and would like to thank our colleagues, members, partners and suppliers for their understanding during this period."

The cyber attack came after was also targeted last week and continues to experience "serious" consequences following a hack on its own systems. Shoppers were turned away at tills after contactless payments and click-and-collect orders were affected. M&S Chief Executive Stuart Machin warned customers to expect "small changes" to store operations.

Experts have warned that such cases could become more common as becomes more advanced. Dr Harjinder Singh Lallie, an associate professor at the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group, told the that attacks like these can seriously disrupt access to basic necessities.

He said: “The recent cyber attack on highlights the critical vulnerability of the UK’s food supply chain — an essential pillar of our national infrastructure. The food sector is under relentless cyber assault, and attacks like these can seriously disrupt access to basic necessities.

"The industry must urgently strengthen resilience, not just in preventing breaches, but also in developing robust response mechanisms. This includes real-time detection, rapid containment, and parallel operational systems to minimise disruption for customers. Cyber security must now be seen as central to national food security and public confidence."