Yahoo Finance Funky Pigeon suspends orders after cyber attack
Online card retailer Funky Pigeon was unable to take any orders for the whole Easter weekend after being struck by a cyber attack.
Funky Pigeon, which is owned by WH Smith, said this morning it had taken its systems offline "as a precaution" following the incident last Thursday. It has written to anyone who has used the website over the past 12 months to let them know about the attack, although it said that no customer payment data was at risk.
A spokesman said: "We are currently investigating the extent to which any personal data - specifically names, addresses, e-mail addresses and personalised card and gift designs - has been accessed.
"We take the security of customer data extremely seriously and we have temporarily suspended any new orders via the website."
Funky Pigeon said it would update its customers and other affected parties as the investigation into the breach progresses. It has also informed data regulators and law enforcement authorities.
The move to target Funky Pigeon comes after a spike in sales during the pandemic, with WH Smith saying the business delivered a "record performance" in its latest financial year, through to last August. Revenues came in at £54m for the year for the business, helping stem a sales decline for WH Smith as a whole, where revenues slipped 13pc to £886m.
Retailers have been hit by a spate of cyber attacks recently, with experts warning that the situation in Ukraine had prompted a "massive increase" in hacking attempts.
US President Joe Biden last month called for businesses to "harden their cyber defences" due to the growing threat that Russian entities were plotting attacks.
Simon Edwards, a cyber security expert, earlier this year said many of these attacks started with "a malicious email sent to an employee" and urged companies to warn staff over the potential risks.
Toys and crafts store The Works earlier this month was forced to shut some of its stores after hackers stopped tills from working. KP Snacks, meanwhile, was targeted by a ransomware attack in February which affected deliveries of nuts and crisps.
