Cyber attack forced Canada's largest bookstore chain to shut website, accept only cash payments

Indigo Books & Music, the largest English language bookstore chain in Canada, suffered a cyber attack earlier this month that forced the company to accept only cash payments and take its official website offline.

Founded in 1996, the Toronto-based company is considered Canada’s only major English-language bookstore chain. It specialises in selling books, magazines, toys, beauty and wellness products, and electronics like smart home devices. With thousands of employees, it has 86 superstores under the name “Chapters and Indigo” and another 123 small stores.

In a statement released last week, Indigo Books & Music confirmed that its website, indigo.ca, had to be taken offline due to “technical issues”. A few hours later, the company confirmed that a “cybersecurity incident” disrupted daily operations and forced the company to accept only cash payments at its stores.

“At this time, we look forward to welcoming customers in our stores for cash transactions; we are temporarily unable to process electronic payments, or to accept gift cards or returns,” the company explained.

Indigo Books & Music has initiated an internal investigation with assistance from third-party experts to understand the nature and scope of the cyber attack. “Our hope is to have our systems back online as soon as possible. In the interim, our website will remain unavailable,” the company said.

While Indigo Books & Music hasn’t shared the nature or type of the cyber attack, how many individuals have been impacted or what information was compromised, it has assured customers that it will share updates as more information becomes available.

The company released an updated statement over the weekend, stating that it is now able to accept cash, debit, credit and gift card transactions. 

 

"It is with pleasure that we can welcome our customers in store and that we accept payment by debit card, credit card, cash and using gift cards. However, we cannot process merchandise returns at this time. We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve the issue," it said.

Canadian organisations are regularly targeted by threat actors. In January, The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), Canada’s largest beverage alcohol retailer, suffered a significant cyber attack that compromised the sensitive personal information of its customers.

Last week, the City of Oakland in Ontario suffered a ransomware attack that resulted in a network outage and forced it to take several non-emergency systems offline. "Oakland is experiencing a network outage. Several non-emergency systems including voicemail within the City of Oakland are currently impacted or offline. Thank you for your patience while we work to restore services," the City said.