'Security Incident' Shuts Down Victoria's Secret's Website

Victoria's Secret has taken down its US website and says some in-store services will also be unavailable as it addresses a "security incident." A message to customers remained in place on the popular lingerie brand's normal shopping site Thursday, stating that these operations had been halted "as a precaution." "Our team is working around the clock to fully restore operations," the message read. While not confirmed by the company, the "security incident" bears all the hallmarks of a cyberattack, the AP reports.

• Victoria's Secret did not provide many details about the "security incident," or directly confirm whether it was a cyber or ransomware attack. When asked for further information Thursday, a spokesperson just said that the company "immediately enacted our response protocols" and has engaged with third-party experts.

• Victoria's Secret also didn't specify when it first identified the issue and began pulling back services. Reports of the retailer's website going dark emerged Wednesday—when the company also shared an update on social media — but some frustrated customers online said they began experiencing issues as early as Monday.
• The company doesn't have an estimate for when its site will be back up, an FAQ on the Victoria's Secret corporate site notes. The company added that it is trying to fulfill orders placed before Monday and that it would be extending return windows and some direct mail coupon offers for impacted customers in the US. Victoria's Secret says its stores remain open for customers. But some in-store services, such as returning online orders in person, were unavailable as of Wednesday night.
• Bloomberg reports that Victoria's Secret also stopped some of its office operations and that some employees were locked out of their company email accounts on Wednesday.
• CNN notes that it's rare for a retail company this big to have such a long website outage. Online shopping accounted for around a third of the company's sales last year. Its stock price has dropped around 8% over the last two days.

(More Victoria's Secret stories.)