Subj : IKEA black Friday ransomware attack cost franchise firm millions To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Mon Apr 14 2025 11:45:07 IKEA black Friday ransomware attack cost franchise firm millions Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:36:20 +0000 Description: Ikeas online store and customer management system was disrupted in the attack. FULL STORY ======================================================================An Ikea franchise company suffered a ransomware attack The incident cost Fourlis Group millions thanks to operational disruption Ransomware is steadily rising in popularity An attack on Ikea franchise company Fourlis Group cost the firm over 15 million ($17 million), it has revealed. Cybercriminals breached the companys systems just two days before Black Friday 2024, one of the biggest trading days of the year - impacting Fourlis Group assets in Romania, Greece, Cyprus, and Bulgaria. At the time of the attack, it wasnt clear which parts of Fourlis were impacted, but it has now been revealed that online Ikea stores and customer management system were disrupted. The hackers intrusion is said to have lasted over two weeks, creating serious gaps at a critical commercial period, local media (translated, originally in Greek) reported. Monitor your credit score with TransUnion starting at $29.95/month TransUnion is a credit monitoring service that helps you stay on top of your financial health. With real-time alerts, credit score tracking, and identity theft protection, it ensures you never miss important changes. You'll benefit from a customizable online interface with clear insights into your credit profile. Businesses also benefit from TransUnions advanced risk assessment tools. Preferred partner ( What does this mean? ) View Deal A qualitative burden Vasilis Fourlis, the groups chairman of the board of directors, confirmed that there was no doubt that there was also a qualitative burden, and that the firm is making a huge effort to reverse the situation. Affected systems were restored very quickly, without any personal data leaked and without the payment of a ransom, it added, noting further attacks targeted the company, but were successfully deflected. Ransomware attacks surged in 2024, and the retail industry was a top target, as downtime for these organisations is seriously costly, and they tend to hold large amounts of personally identifiable information on their customers, like names, email addresses, shipping addresses, and payment information - all of which can be leveraged or sold on the dark web. Its not clear what the initial point of entry was in this attack, but thanks to the rise in AI, cyberattacks are now much more accessible to criminals, who can use the technology to send out more sophisticated attacks at a higher rate than ever before. The Fourlis Group has reportedly invested a million euros into digital infrastructure, and has transferred some IT systems and cybersecurity capabilities in-house following the incident. Via Capital.gr (translated, originally in Greek) You might also like Take a look at our picks for the best malware removal software around Check out our choice for best antivirus software One of the most powerful ransomware hacks around has been cracked using some serious GPU power ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/ikea-black-friday-ransomware-attack-cos t-franchise-firm-millions --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .