Posted On April 26, 2023 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
April 26 – After discovering that a malware attack had provided unauthorized access to the personal information of certain consumers, Albertsons Companies, Inc. filed a notification of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana on April 21, 2023. While it has not yet been determined what kinds of information were compromised in the intrusion, Albertsons has started sending out breach notification letters to everybody who may have been affected.
Console & Associates, P.C.’s data breach lawyers are now looking into the Alberstons attack. We provide free consultations to anybody who has received a breach notification letter and would want to understand more about their legal options for pursuing compensation from Alberstons.
Albertsons Companies, Inc., with headquarters in Boise, Idaho, is the second-largest supermarket chain in the United States, with over 2,253 locations. The corporation has 19 production facilities and 22 distribution hubs across the country. Shaw’s, Randall’s, Pavilion, Safeway, United Supermarkets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Acme, Haggen, Kings Food Market, Tom Thuman, Balducci’s Food Lovers Market, and Star Market are all supermarkets owned by Albertsons. More than 290,000 people are employed by Albertsons, and the company earns around $76 billion annually.
On December 23, 0222, Albertsons reported to the Montana Attorney General that it had discovered malware on its system that had allowed an unauthorized user to access corporate data. As a result, Albertsons took precautions to prevent further intrusion and immediately began investigating to see what, if any, customer data had been compromised.
According to the Albertsons investigation, the intruder gained access to the company’s systems between December 22, 2022, and December 24, 2022, and deleted data from those servers. After further investigation, Albertsons learned that sensitive customer data was among the exposed files.
Albertsons started reviewing the affected files to identify what information was hacked and who was affected when it discovered that sensitive customer data was accessed by an unauthorized person. The corporation concluded this procedure on March 24, 2023.
Albertsons sent breach notification letters to everybody whose data was exposed in the latest cyberattack on April 21, 2023.
Alberstons’ computer system was breached by hackers, resulting in the release of sensitive data. Consumers who trusted Alberstons to keep their information safe were helpless in the face of this assault. To prevent identity theft and other forms of fraud, it is the company’s responsibility to keep your private data safe.
Alberstons’ potential liability for the security lapse is the subject of an ongoing inquiry. Not having up-to-date cybersecurity or properly training employees to spot and report phishing attempts are two examples of possible areas of neglect. If it turns out that the company was negligent in any way, you may be entitled to financial compensation.
The consumer privacy lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. help customers affected by data and security breaches pursue legal solutions by offering free consultations. By explaining your rights in clear, concise terms, we help you make an informed decision about your next steps. If you are a victim of the Albertsons Companies, Inc. data breach, Console & Associates, P.C. will investigate at no charge to you and offer advice on how to proceed. If you decide to pursue a case, rest assured that we don’t get paid unless you do. If your claim is successful, legal fees are either paid out of the funds recovered or by the defendant. If your claim is not successful, you pay nothing.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
Below is a portion of the letter sent to affected individuals:
Dear [Redacted],
Albertsons Companies, Inc. (“Albertsons”) is writing to inform you of a data security incident that occurred and may have involved your personal information. This letter provides information about the incident and resources available to you.
What happened? On December 23, 2022, Albertsons learned that an unauthorized third party gained access to its systems, infecting its systems with malware. Upon discovery, Albertsons immediately launched a forensic investigation, took steps to prevent any further unauthorized access, and engaged a leading global forensics firm. Based on the investigation, Albertsons determined that the unauthorized party was able to access and remove copies of data from certain file servers at Albertsons between December 22, 2022 and December 24, 2022 and that as a result, your personal information may have been accessed by the unauthorized third party.
What information was involved? As a result of our investigation, on March 24, 2023, we determined that your personal information was involved [Redacted] . The personal information involved may have included: name, [Redacted]. However, to date Albertsons is not aware of any actual misuse of personal information as a result of this incident.
What we are doing. Albertsons takes the protection of the personal information entrusted to us very seriously. As soon as we discovered the incident, we promptly launched a forensic investigation, took steps to remediate the incident and prevent further unauthorized activity, and contacted law enforcement. In response to this incident, we have and continue to enhance our security and monitoring controls, and harden our systems as appropriate to minimize the risk of any similar incident in the future. As a precaution, we have arranged to offer you credit monitoring services for a period of [Redacted] months, at no cost to you. Please see the attached Reference Guide for enrollment details. While these services are complimentary, you have until July 21, 2023 to activate these services, and instructions on how to enroll in these services are included in the enclosed Reference Guide.
What you can do. In addition to enrolling in complimentary credit monitoring services, the enclosed Reference Guide includes additional information on general steps you can take to monitor and protect your personal information. We encourage you to remain vigilant by carefully reviewing credit reports and account statements to ensure that all activity is valid.
For more information. If you have any questions about this matter or would like additional information, please refer to the enclosed Reference Guide or call toll-free 1-888-567-0056. This call center is open from Monday through Friday from 9 am to 9 pm Eastern Time. We regret that this incident occurred and apologize for any inconvenience it may cause you.
