Staples Hit With Ransomware Attack

Staples is facing ongoing disruption following a cyber-attack, which was first disclosed the last week of November, according to an article in Infosecurity Magazine.

Its communications and customer service lines were disrupted. Other aspects of order processing and delivery are reportedly functioning normally, but the incident has impacted crucial services during the critical holiday retail period.

According to a statement sent to ABC News by Staples, the disruptions customers are experiencing resulted from proactive steps taken to protect customer data. That suggests a possible ransomware attack, which forces organizations to unplug systems from the internet.

The lion’s share of the $100 million that MGM Resorts says it lost in a recent ransomware attack came as a result of disruption to services when IT systems were taken offline.

The incident should serve as a reminder for organizations to prioritize cybersecurity and stay vigilant during the holiday season. Exploiting reduced IT support capacity is a go-to tool in the cybercriminals’ kit.

Rick Jones, CEO of DigitalXRAID, said that attackers know that December is the perfect time to strike to cause maximum disruption with minimal resistance. “Businesses cannot afford to ignore the risk,” he added.

“All of our systems are in the process of coming back online and we expect to return to normal functionality in short order,” said a Staples spokesperson. “We expect to ship all orders that have been placed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. While it is too early to make any definitive statements, we are optimistic that our quick action helped avert more serious consequences.”