Victoria’s Secret Temporarily Shuts Down Website After Cybersecurity Breach

Victoria’s Secret disclosed this week that it was forced to temporarily shut down its e-commerce site and corporate IT systems due to a cybersecurity breach that occurred on May 26. The company swiftly enacted its incident response plan to contain the breach and prevent further unauthorized access, restoring its website operations by May 29.

While the lingerie retailer confirmed that the incident did not significantly affect its first-quarter financial performance, it acknowledged that related recovery costs might impact its second-quarter results. These costs stem from necessary security measures and system restoration efforts taken in response to the breach.

In addition to the online disruption, some operations at Victoria’s Secret and PINK retail stores were also affected but have since returned to normal. The company postponed its first-quarter earnings report, originally scheduled for June 5, citing delays in accessing key internal systems needed to finalize the results.

The cyberattack follows a broader trend of similar incidents affecting the retail and fashion sector, including recent breaches at Cartier and Marks & Spencer. Despite the temporary setback, Victoria’s Secret reported that its first-quarter sales and adjusted earnings per share are still expected to meet or exceed the higher range of its previous guidance.