Funky Pigeon suspends orders after cyberattack Business

Online card retailer Funky Pigeon was unable to take orders throughout Easter weekend after being hit by a cyberattack.

Funky Pigeon, which is owned by WH Smith, said this morning it had taken its systems offline “as a precaution” following the incident last Thursday. He wrote to everyone who had used the website in the past 12 months to tell them about the attack, although he said no customer payment data was at risk.

A spokesperson said: “We are currently investigating the extent to which personal data – in particular names, addresses, email addresses and personalized card and gift designs – has been accessed.

“We take the security of customer data very seriously and have temporarily suspended all new orders through the website.”

Funky Pigeon said it will update its customers and other affected parties as the investigation into the breach progresses. He also notified data regulators and law enforcement authorities.

The decision to target Funky Pigeon comes after a surge in sales during the pandemic, with WH Smith saying the company posted “record performance” in its most recent financial year, through August. Revenue reached £54m for the year for the business, helping to stem a decline in sales for WH Smith as a whole, where revenue fell 13% to £886m.

Retailers have recently been hit by a series of cyberattacks, with experts warning that the situation in Ukraine has caused a “massive increase” in hacking attempts.