Cyberattack forces Russian discount chain Verny to take cash only across 1,000 stores

Verny, a Russian discount grocery chain with more than 1,000 stores and around 11,000 staff, was disrupted by a cyberattack at the start of June 2024. Russian outlets reported that card processing began failing on 1 June and that problems persisted for at least three days.

The attackers took down the company's website and mobile application. Stores could not accept bank cards, self-checkout terminals stopped working, and online orders could not be taken or delivered. Video shared on Telegram by local customers showed Verny stores with printed signs on their doors saying they were temporarily accepting cash only. Local employees said many customers were frustrated by the cash-only policy and left without buying anything.

Verny confirmed the attack to Russian media and said specialists were working to restore checkout and customer service systems. General director Oleg Vysotsky said the leading theory was that the attackers wanted money, though he did not say whether a ransom demand had actually been received.

Damage estimates varied widely. The Record, citing local commerce experts, put losses at a minimum of 300 million roubles, about $3 million, rising above 500 million roubles if systems stayed down. Kommersant quoted analyst Mikhail Burmistrov of Infoline-Analitika estimating 120 to 140 million roubles a day, or roughly a billion roubles over a week. No group claimed the attack at the time, and analysts drew comparisons with an intrusion at the delivery company CDEK a week earlier, which the Head Mare group had claimed.