THE WHAT? KaDeWe has narrowly averted becoming the victim of a cyber attack, with help from the Cyber Crime Unit of the Berlin police. The department store had to switch to emergency operation mode briefly while the threat was neutralized.

THE DETAILS According to a report published by BNN Network, the perpetrator was Russian hacker Play. Investigations are said to be ongoing. While card payments could be accepted throughout the incident, cashless payments and IT systems were disabled briefly.  

THE WHY? Cyber criminals are increasingly targeting online retailers in a bid to exhort ransoms. The incident underlines the need for stringent cybersecurity measures, BNN Network emphasizes.