Business and Marketing

The grocery chain believes payment card account numbers, owners' names, and expiration dates may have been hacked via POS systems at 180 stores.

Cub Foods stores were among those breached.

Supervalu, a grocery chain comprising 3,000-plus stores, began notifying customers yesterday that hackers may have obtained their payment card account numbers and expiration dates, as well as their names, through point-of-sale systems at 180 Supervalu stores and 29 stand-alone liquor stores. The breach occurred between June 22 and July 17. An ongoing investigation by a third-party forensics firm is still assessing its scope.

The breaches occurred at stores operated under Supervalu's Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher's, Shop ‘n Save, and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy banners. Upon learning of the breach, the company notified federal law enforcement authorities and the major payment card companies.

To date, Supervalu and its investigators have uncovered no evidence that any cardholder data was stolen by hackers, nor have they discovered any misuse of such data. The chain believes the breach has been contained and is telling customers they can safely use their credit and debit cards in Supervalu stores. A call center has been set up by the company to address customer concerns about the breach and it is offering 12 months of free identity protection services to customers who may have been affected.

“The intrusion was identified by our internal team, it was quickly contained, and we have had no evidence of any misuse of any customer data,” said President and CEO Sam Duncan in a press release revealing the breach.

By contrast, the Target holiday data breach that may have affected more than 100 million consumers was discovered by federal agents, who notified the retailer.

Business Breaking News: Are You Protecting This Important Digital Business Asset?

When it comes to data security, most businesses focus heavily on protecting sensitive corporate information and personal details about employees and customers. But there's another digital asset that companies should guard just as carefully, and most organizations don't realize it until after a breach has occurred.

That asset is a business's social media presence. In today's highly connected world, a large percentage of a company's branding efforts happen on social networks. All the time and effort you've spent creating a positive brand image can be undone in a matter of seconds if the wrong person gains access to your accounts.

You don't have to look very far to find examples of corporate PR disasters due to a compromised social media account. Burger King and Jeep were victims of highly publicized Twitter hackings last year; the Associated Press suffered a hack, too, and a fake tweet about a White House explosion went out to nearly 2 million followers. While social media teams were able to get the situation under control quickly in each of these cases, it's easy to see how damaging a social hack can be to a brand. [5 Surefire Ways to Get Your Passwords Stolen]

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