Cyberattack on METRO Forces Retailer to Set Up Offline Payment Systems

A cyberattack on METRO has forced the wholesale chain to set up offline payments as it struggles to get its IT infrastructure working properly again.

The Düsseldorf-based multinational operates more than 680 stores in 24 countries and employs over 95,000 people.

Reports of IT outages started cropping up last week, when several stores around the world experienced disruption of their IT infrastructures.

This week, the wholesale giant confirmed that a cyberattack on its systems was causing the disruption, adding that it is investigating the incident.

“METRO/MAKRO is currently experiencing a partial IT infrastructure outage of several technical services,” reads the statement. “METRO’s IT team has immediately started a thorough investigation together with external experts to identify the cause of the interruption of services.”

“The latest results of the analysis confirmed a cyberattack on the METRO systems as the cause of the IT infrastructure outage,” according to the notice. “METRO AG has notified all relevant authorities about the incident and will, of course, cooperate with them in any way possible.”

Stores are operating more or less as normal, according to the retail behemoth. While services are “regularly available,” customers should expect disruptions and delays. This applies to online orders, in particular.

In another downside of the attack, as revealed by the advisory, stores have been forced to set up offline payment systems to accommodate customers.

“We will continue intensive analysis and monitoring and provide updates as required,” METRO says. “METRO sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience the incident is causing for any of its customers and business partners.”

”IT disruptions” are typically synonymous with ransomware, meaning METRO could soon issue an update on this incident.