Victoria’s Secret shuts down its web site and a few in-store providers as a consequence of a ‘safety incident’

NEW YORK (AP) — Victoria’s Secret has taken down its U.S. web site and says some in-store providers may also be unavailable because it addresses a “safety incident.”

A message to clients remained in place of the favored lingerie model’s regular purchasing website Thursday, stating that it had halted these operations “as a precaution.”

“Our group is working across the clock to completely restore operations,” the message learn.

Ohio-based Victoria’s Secret didn’t present many particulars concerning the “security incident,” or directly confirm whether it was a cyber or ransomware attack. When asked for further information Thursday, a spokesperson just said that the company “immediately enacted our response protocols” and has engaged with third-party consultants.

Victoria’s Secret additionally didn’t specify when it first recognized the difficulty and commenced pulling again providers. Most media reviews of the retailer’s web site going darkish emerged Wednesday — when the corporate additionally shared an replace on social media — however some pissed off clients on-line stated they started experiencing points earlier within the week, way back to Monday.

The corporate doesn’t have an estimate for when its website can be again up, an FAQ on the Victoria’s Secret company website notes. The corporate added that it’s attempting to satisfy orders positioned earlier than Monday and that it could be extending return home windows and a few unsolicited mail coupon affords for impacted clients within the U.S.

Victoria’s Secret says its shops, in addition to its PINK model areas, stay open for purchasers. However some in-store providers, corresponding to returning on-line orders in individual, had been unavailable as of Wednesday night time — and as had been its on-line buyer care providers, per the corporate’s FAQ.

It was not instantly clear if any in-store providers in Victoria’s Secret areas exterior the U.S. had been additionally impacted. However the firm’s U.Okay. website appeared uninterrupted Thursday.

Bloomberg Information reported that Victoria’s Secret additionally stopped a few of its workplace operations and that some staff had been locked out of their firm e-mail accounts on Wednesday, citing an nameless supply acquainted with the matter.

Shares for Victoria’s Secret tumbled about 4% as of noon Thursday.

Whereas not confirmed by the corporate, the “security incident” impacting Victoria’s Secret bears all of the hallmarks of a cyberattack. And it arrives as increasingly more corporations report breaches that disrupt operations and/or expose buyer knowledge, particuarly amongst retailers.

Final week, for instance, Adidas introduced that it had not too long ago grow to be conscious of an “unauthorized external party” acquiring some shopper knowledge — largely consisting of contact info — via a third-party customer support supplier. The German shoe and clothes firm stated it could be informing impacted clients and dealing with legislation enforcement.

And several other British retailers — Marks & Spencer, Harrods and Co-op — have all shared that they’ve been focused by cyberattacks over latest weeks. The cyberattack hitting M&S stopped it from processing on-line orders and left retailer cabinets empty, with the corporate estimating that this may price it 300 million kilos ($400 million).

Following any cybersecurity incident impacting a consumer-facing model, consultants warn that it’s necessary for customers to be alert. Fraudsters would possibly promise faux promotions via phishing emails, for instance, or use delicate info that will have been compromised.

The breadth of disruptions impacting Victoria’s Secret this week are additionally “a reminder to companies of how wide-reaching the fallout could be,” Tim Rawlins, senior adviser and director for safety at consulting agency NCC Group, stated in an emailed notice Thursday.

“Halting operations, moderately than dashing to convey them again on-line, is essential to making sure patches, restoration efforts, and strengthened cyber safety are efficient in the long term,” he added.

This story was initially featured on Fortune.com