Hackers have now also targeted Co-op (Picture: Getty)

The Co-op supermarket has been hit by a cyber attack,days after hackers caused chaos at Marks and Spencer.

A letter to staff yesterday said the company had ‘taken steps to keep systems safe’ so had ‘pre-emptively withdrawn access to some systems for the moment’,the Guardian reported.

It said some of its back office and call centre services have been impacted but that all stores,including grocery and funeral homes,are trading as usual.

A spokesman for Co-op,said: ‘We have recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems.

‘As a result,we have taken proactive steps to keep our systems safe,which has resulted in a small impact to some of our back office and call centre services.

‘All our stores (including quick commerce operations) and funeral homes are trading as usual. 

Empty shelves inside a Marks & Spencer shop in Paddington,London,yesterday (Picture: PA)

‘We are working hard to reduce any disruption to our services and would like to thank our colleagues,members,partners and suppliers for their understanding during this period.

‘We are not asking our members or customers to do anything differently at this point. We will continue to provide updates as necessary.’

The Co-op said it does not believe customer data has been compromised.

It comes after Marks and Spencer shoppers were greeted with empty shelves after a cyber attack paralysed the store’s payment systems.

Online orders are still unavailable,having been paused on the M&S website and app since Friday. It follows issues with contactless pay and Click & collect over Easter.

Shares in the high street fixture have plummeted since the attack,and companies across the country will be examining their own cybersecurity more closely.

The latest M&S statement on their cyber attack (Picture: Marks and Spencer)

Co-op’s email to staff referenced ‘the recent issues surrounding M&S and the cyber-attack they have experienced’,saying that ‘protecting our systems is of paramount importance’.

A source said that the attack had led to virtual desktops being closed across the business,affecting operations including updates on stock.

The supermarket did not say whether it had detected this hack attempt due to extra checks following the high-profile attack on Marks and Spencer.

Some M&S supermarkets were seen displaying signs on food shelves reading: ‘Please bear with us while we fix some technical issues affecting product availability.’

Other brands will be keen to avoid the huge hit to sales and reputation caused by the attack,which is thought to be a ransomware attack,when IT services are accessed and paralysed by a hacker.

These typically lock companies out of their own systems unless a ransom is paid in cryptocurrency.

A hacking group operating under the name Scattered Spider has been linked to the attack,according to reports. Technology industry title Bleeping Computer first linked the hacking group to the cyber attack against the retailer.