OUT OF STOCK — A recent spike of cyberattacks against major retailers in the U.S. and abroad is stoking fears that these breaches could seriously disrupt services and lead to less access to necessities like food or clothing.
Last week, United Natural Foods Inc., one of the country’s top food distributors and one of Whole Foods’ largest partners, experienced a major cyberattack. In a filing with the SEC, the company stated that the attack affected its “ability to fulfill and distribute customer orders,” leaving some store shelves temporarily barren.
This attack on UNFI is just the latest in a string of attacks against the retail sector. Last week, Victoria’s Secret announced that it had restored all of its systems after a cyberattack in May forced the company to pause online orders and temporarily take its website down. The North Face announced a breach earlier this month that had compromised thousands of customer accounts.
In the U.K., retailer Marks & Spencer was hit with a cyberattack in May that hindered online shopping, and a cyberattack on grocery store chain Co-op led to empty shelves in some locations.
— Operating with “impunity”: Retailers are prime targets for hackers due to the trove of valuable personal and financial data collected on customers.
“Retailers collect and store vast amounts of valuable personal and financial data, such as credit card numbers, payment details, home addresses and phone numbers,” said Fletcher Davis, senior security research manager at cybersecurity firm BeyondTrust. “One breach can often yield a large amount of records that can be sold on dark web markets.”
