M&S boss working ‘day and night’ to tackle cyber attack, Apple shifts iPhone production away from China

The boss of Marks & Spencer has said staff are working “day and night” to tackle a devastating cyber attack, as disruption continues to hit stores. Stuart Machin, chief executive, said the retailer was battling to “get things back to normal as quickly as possible”. Writing to customers, he apologised for the ongoing disruption following the ransomware attack, with online orders down for an eighth day and shoppers still seeing empty shelves in supermarkets. Mr Machin said: “We are really sorry that we’ve not been able to offer you the service you expect from M&S over the last week.” Telegraph 

Apple says it is shifting production of most iPhones and other devices to be sold in the US away from China, which has been the focus of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The majority of the iPhones bound for the US market in the coming months will be made in India, while Vietnam will be a major production hub for items like iPads and Apple Watches, chief executive Tim Cook says. It comes as the technology giant estimated that US import taxes could add about $900m (£677.5m) to its costs in the current quarter, despite Trump’s decision to spare key electronics from the new tariffs. BBC 

Apple’s earnings report surpassed expectations on Thursday, with robust iPhone sales demonstrating resilience amidst concerns about the impact of potential US tariffs. However, Apple’s stock dipped almost 3% after the bell, as lukewarm results from its services division and delays in AI initiatives curbed the enthusiasm of investors, as reported by City AM. The tech titan, headquartered in California, disclosed revenues of $95.4bn and a net income of $24.8bn for the March quarter, slightly outperforming analyst forecasts. Business Live 

Harrods has been hit by a cyber-attack, just days after Marks & Spencer and the Co-op were targeted. The luxury department store is understood to have been forced to shut down some systems, but said its website and all its stores, including the Knightsbridge flagship, H beauty and airport outlets, continued to operate. It is understood the retailer first realised it was being targeted earlier this week. Harrods said in a statement: “We recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems. Our seasoned IT security team immediately took proactive steps to keep systems safe and as a result we have restricted internet access at our sites today.” Guardian

The digital guillotine has fallen at Google Play, and the numbers are staggering. In an unprecedented purge that has left developers reeling and users confused, Google has wiped out nearly half of all applications from its Play Store since January. The tech giant has removed a jaw-dropping 1.6 million apps from its digital marketplace with barely a word of explanation. IBT

A North Korean hacker who attempted to infiltrate the ranks of a US tech company has been caught red-handed. He had applied for an engineering role at the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange, which knew he was a malicious actor from the very start. But instead of rejecting his CV, executives allowed him to advance through the recruitment process so they could gather intelligence about his tactics. The first red flag emerged when the hacker joined a video call using a different name to the one on his resume, with his voice occasionally switching throughout the interview. Sky News