Romanian bookstore chain Cărturești hit by cybersecurity incident

Cărturești, one of Romania’s best-known bookstore chains, has temporarily shut down its website and mobile app following a cybersecurity incident detected on October 22. The company said it isolated several systems as a precaution and notified the relevant authorities.

Some services are also unavailable in its physical bookstores, including the use of vouchers and gift cards, the loyalty program, invoice generation, stock checks, and orders placed in stores or through delivery platforms.

“Our teams are working with external specialists to check and gradually restore all systems under secure conditions,” Cărturești said in an announcement posted on Facebook.

The company said the investigation is ongoing but that it had so far found no indication that users’ personal data had been accessed or extracted.

“Financial data, such as payment card details, cannot be affected because it is not stored or processed in our systems,” the retailer announced.

Cash and card payments in bookstores continue to operate normally, representatives said. Existing vouchers and gift cards will remain valid, while the validity of all vouchers will be extended until the end of December.

The orders already placed in bookstores will be delivered after the affected systems are restored.

Cărturești advised customers to change their passwords the first time they log into the online platform after it becomes available again. It said it would release further information as the investigation progresses and services are restored.