MARKS & Spencer has warned customers that some of their details may have been accessed by hackers earlier this week.
The UK-based retailer was informed by Epsilon, a company they use to send e-mails to customers, that information had been accessed without consent in a major breach of security.
However, Marks and Spencer last night sought to reassure customers that the only information that could have been stolen was e-mail addresses and in some cases first names and surnames.
“The only risk to customers is an increase in spam,” a spokeswoman said. “Personal information such as account details are kept in a completely separate place.” The breach was part of a much larger incident in Epsilon, who mainly represent US clients, including household names such as Disney and Best Buy.
The chairman of a new privacy panel formed in the US Senate, Senator Al Franken, called the attack “one of the largest data breaches in history”.
Epsilon last night refused to comment on whether any other companies with operations in Ireland were affected. Marks and Spencer said they are working with Epsilon to ensure that such a breach of data security does not occur in the future.