Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 2 hrs ago
Albert Heijn outage may be linked to a cyberattack, experts say
Albert Heijn, a major Dutch supermarket chain, has had a serious digital outage since Sunday afternoon.
The company calls it a digital security incident, but has not said what caused it or whether it was hacked.
Cybersecurity experts say the steps taken, including switching off some systems, could point to a possible intrusion, though this is not confirmed.
The outage has disrupted the chain’s systems, stopped online grocery deliveries and halted work at some distribution centres.
Some stores have had empty shelves, especially where fresh food is sold.
Experts say a criminal group seeking money is one possible explanation, but other causes have not been ruled out.
It is not yet clear how long the disruption will last; that depends in part on what happened and how far any attacker may have got.
Albert Heijn has been dealing with a major disruption since the afternoon of October 11, which cybersecurity experts say could be linked to a cyberattack.
The supermarket chain has described the incident as a digital security incident but has not said what caused it.
Albert Heijn systems are unavailable, online grocery orders cannot be delivered, and some distribution centres are halted.
Stores have reported empty shelves, particularly for fresh products.
Experts say the measures taken may indicate a serious security concern, but the cause remains unconfirmed.
- Who
- Albert Heijn, the Dutch supermarket chain, is affected. Cybersecurity experts have discussed a possible cyberattack.
- What
- A major disruption has made systems unavailable and halted some deliveries and distribution operations. The cause has not been disclosed.
- When
- The disruption began on the afternoon of October 11, according to the article published October 12.
- Where
- Albert Heijn operations in the Netherlands are affected; a store in Zaandam had empty shelves.
- Why
- Not stated. Albert Heijn has not said what caused the disruption.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Albert Heijn began experiencing a major disruption.
NOS reported that cybersecurity experts said a cyberattack was possible, while Albert Heijn had not disclosed the cause.
- Start
- Afternoon of October 11
- Affected company
- Albert Heijn
- Store location mentioned
- Zaandam
- Operational impact
- Online grocery orders could not be delivered, and some distribution centres were halted
- Cause
- Not disclosed by Albert Heijn
What people are saying
A large organization does not take such major measures just like that.
It seems quite clear to me that a malicious actor has been in the system.
It could be that Albert Heijn itself has found a vulnerability in its system.
This incident fits much more with the pattern of criminal groups.
Sources
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