Indigo Books & Music Inc. is currently investigating a “cybersecurity incident” that has dealt a massive blow to its business operations.
The company’s website, as well as its in-store electronic payment systems, have both been affected and only orders paid for by cash are able to be processed. Online purchases, gift cards, and returns cannot be processed at this time.
"We are working with third-party experts to investigate and resolve the situation," the company posted on its website. “Our hope is to have our systems back online as soon as possible.
Indigo first reported “technical issues” on Feb 8, sharing on social media that the company was working on fixing the service outage and seeing “if customer data has been accessed.” Customers were also told that recently purchased items online may be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
At this time, no other details about the cybersecurity incident have been released by Indigo.
Indigo is not the only company that has experienced cyberattacks in recent months. In November of last year, Empire Co. Ltd., the parent company of Sobeys, also dealt with a security breach that led the company to close its pharmacies.
Sobeys locations were left scrambling as customers were unable to fill their prescriptions for four days. Additionally, other in-store services were out of order, including the self-checkout machines, gift card processing, and loyalty point redemption.
Other companies such as the LCBO, and even government organizations like SickKids Hospital, have also been hit with what appear to be targeted online attacks. Robert Falzon, the head of engineering for Check Point Canada, said the attacks are causing millions of dollars in losses for these businesses.
“It’s getting more attention because of the nature of them and how frightening some of them truly are actually.”
According to Statistics Canada, Canadian businesses spent over $600 million in 2021 toward recovery efforts from cybersecurity incidents.
