Website for Bay Area-born Victoria's Secret downed by cyberattack

Online shoppers seeking activewear, push-up bras and a host of other items from one of the biggest lingerie retailers in the world are out of luck. Since Tuesday, the Victoria’s Secret website has gone dark, offering only a brief, vague message. Bloomberg reports that some customers haven’t been able to shop the site since as early as Monday.

The company, which was founded in Palo Alto by Stanford graduate Roy Raymond, opened its first brick-and-mortar store in the Stanford Shopping Center in 1977. Victoria’s Secret initially expanded in the Bay Area, opening several stores, including a Sutter Street location in San Francisco. In 1982, Raymond sold the company to mall-brand mogul Les Wexner.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the site was still offline, displaying an updated version of a previous message, acknowledging a “security incident” as the reason. The notice stated: “We have taken down our website and some in store services as a precaution. Our team is working around the clock to fully restore operations. We appreciate your patience during this process. In the meantime, our Victoria’s Secret and PINK stores remain open and we look forward to serving you.”

A Victoria’s Secret spokesperson told SFGATE via email that after identifying the issue, the company “immediately enacted our response protocols, third-party experts are engaged, and we took down our website and some in store services as a precaution.”