Whole Foods Market Breach - April 2021 to July 2021

Whole Foods Market and Skaggs Breach

Whole Foods is a specialty grocery store that specializes in organic and natural foods. The company is a subsidiary of eCommerce giant, Amazon. Skaggs is a uniform company that provides uniforms for emergency personnel across the United States.

What Was the Breach?

Specialty grocer, Whole Foods suffered a significant data breach in the second half of 2021. The breach exposed sensitive customer data, usernames for system login, and other information on logging records. Hackers also stole administrative and security data that has the potential to be used to overcome barriers to internal system entry, which could prove even more problematic since the company is a subsidiary of Amazon.

How Did the Breach Occur?

The hackers accessed Whole Foods' logging records, setting the stage for the theft of sensitive information about customers as well as the business. The hackers also accessed payment information such as credit card information, codes, tokens for authorization, transaction information, and more.

When Did This Breach Occur?

This breach occurred between April and July of 2021.

Who Does the Breach Impact?

The breach is a blow to Whole Foods, yet it is also a significant problem for its customers. The company will suffer from the attack as hackers accessed inside information about company processes. This seemingly inevitable setback is a testament to the merits of regularly updating your computer and network’s digital protections.

Customers of Whole Foods might be victimized through phishing attacks. The hackers might even transmit phony invoices in an attempt to obtain payment for supposed products/services rendered. It is also worth noting that the bulk of the payment/credit records obtained in the attack have a connection to Skaggs Companies, a company with several locations throughout the southwest.

How Many Files Does the Breach Affect?

In total, about 82 million records were exposed. The login records provide valuable security information about Whole Foods' networks, customers, business partners, and more.