Hairdresser chain Peter Mark hit by cyberattack

Peter Mark said its salons remain fully open for business and appointments can be booked as usual. File Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Hairdresser Peter Mark says it has been the victim of a cyberattack, and some of its human resources data has been compromised as a result.

In a statement, the chain said that it has found evidence that an "unauthorised third party illegally gained access to certain information on our internal office IT system."

It says it has engaged the services of cybercrime experts to assist in its investigation into the attack.

"The nature and extent of this breach remains under investigation, including what exact data on our systems has been affected," a spokesperson said.

"However, initial results of the investigation indicate that some human resources data has been compromised. It is not clear yet what other data was part of this breach, and we are continuing to investigate this matter."

The chain's customer payment system, which processes card payments and is operated by a third-party provider, was not affected by the cyberattack, Peter Mark says.

The spokesperson said that, as yet, there is no evidence that any of the illegally compromised personal data has been leaked on the dark web.

The incident has been reported to both the Data Protection Commission and the UK's Information Commissioner's Office, as well as An Garda Síochána and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

The spokesperson also warned that Peter Mark will never ask its customers for card details or personal information when making an appointment either by phone or online.

"We are taking this matter very seriously. We are currently in the process of liaising with our staff to inform them of this incident and are working closely with all the relevant authorities and our external specialists who are assisting us," the spokesperson added.

""We will continue to provide any further updates to the relevant authorities and to affected individuals in line with our data protection obligations.

Peter Mark says that its salons remain fully open for business and appointments can be booked as usual.