PARIS — Louis Vuitton is the latest brand in the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton fold to be targeted by hackers.
The French fashion house notified customers in the U.K. that some of their personal data had been unlawfully accessed, though it said no payment information leaked.
“Louis Vuitton recently discovered an unauthorized party accessed some of the data we hold for our clients. We immediately began taking steps to investigate and contain this incident, supported by leading cybersecurity experts,” the brand said.
“While our investigation is ongoing, we can confirm that no payment information was contained in the database accessed. We are working to notify the relevant regulators and affected clients in line with applicable law,” it added.
This follows similar attempts to gain access to customer data at Dior in China and Vuitton in South Korea.
The latest data breach follows a series of cyber attacks on U.K. retailers including Marks & Spencer and Harrods. Four people have been arrested in the U.K. in relation to the April attacks, the National Crime Agency said Thursday.
In a recent interview with WWD, Franck Le Moal, group IT and technology director at LVMH, said the luxury conglomerate was battling a sharp increase in cybercrime.
“There has been an absolutely exponential growth in cyber risk in recent months,” said Le Moal. “This is a constant concern for us. Protecting our customers’ data is of utmost importance.”
Despite a global downturn in luxury spending that has hit budgets across the industry, LVMH is bolstering investment in cybersecurity in partnership with Google Cloud, he said.
“But it’s a game of cops and robbers, and it’s an ongoing battle,” he said. “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, all you need is the occasional tiny flaw in the system to benefit this increasingly large-scale cyber crime industry. This is a challenge for all businesses, including luxury.”
Vuitton apologized to its clients, and pledged to reinforce guardrails to protect sensitive information.
“We continuously work to update our security measures to protect against the evolving threat landscape, and we have taken steps to further strengthen the protection of our systems,” it said.
Julius Cerniauskas, chief executive officer of web intelligence platform and proxy provider Oxylabs, said the spate of attacks targeting LVMH brands should serve as a red flag.
“The fact that this is the third breach to hit the wider LVMH group in recent months suggests more than just bad luck — it points to a wider vulnerability in their cyber defenses. Whether it’s Louis Vuitton in the U.K., Dior, or other parts of the group, attackers are clearly finding ways in and exploiting weaknesses,” he said.
“This wave of attacks on both luxury brands and high-street names shows just how attractive retailers are to cybercriminals. They hold vast amounts of customer data, and when defenses are weak or inconsistent, it’s only a matter of time before someone takes advantage,” Cerniauskas added.
