Hackers now targeting US retailers after cyberattacks on UK companies, Google threat intel analyst

Hackers are planning to target U.S. retailers after hitting companies in the United Kingdom with cyberattacks.

“Major American retailers have already been targeted,” the chief analyst for Google’s Threat Intelligence Group, John Hultquist, told NBC News on Wednesday.

Three top British retailers have been hit with cyberattacks in recent weeks, resulting in Marks & Spencer being forced to pause online orders for weeks and Harrods, while not seeing evidence that customer data was stolen, restricting some internet access at store locations. 

Meanwhile, a significant amount of customer and employee data was stolen from the Co-op Group, the hackers told the BBC.

Hultquist declined to say which U.S. retailers the hackers may be targeting.

Google sells services such as cloud storage, networking and security protection to some of the biggest retailers across the globe, which allows it to provide insight into how hackers operate.

The National Retail Federation, which represents thousands of companies, said they are aware of the threat.

"U.S.-based retailers are aware of the threats posted by cybercriminal groups that have recently attacked several major retailers in the United Kingdom, and many companies have taken steps to harden themselves against these criminal groups’ tactics over the past two years,” NRF's vice president of retail technology and cybersecurity, Christian Beckner, told NBC News.