Just one week before Thanksgiving, a cybersecurity problem has kept the shelves of some Stop & Shop and Hannaford grocery stores in the Northeast empty for almost two weeks.
Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch grocery store parent company, announced in a statement on November 8 that it was facing a cybersecurity problem in its U.S. network, causing inventory shortages at hundreds of locations. Christy Phillips-Brown, a spokesman for Ahold Delhaize, stated in a statement that the inquiry is still ongoing.
According to the statement, our teams are working to identify and address the problem. To help protect them, some systems may need to be taken offline. Several Ahold Delhaize USA businesses and services, including several pharmacies and certain e-commerce activities, have been impacted by this problem and the mitigating measures that followed.
Hannaford has 189 sites in states including Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, whereas Stop & Shop has more than 300 locations in five states, including New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Despite the limited selection, Stop & Shop pharmacies and stores are still open and functioning while the chain restocks its shelves and prepares for item availability, according to Caroline Medeiros, a spokesman for the retailer.
Stop & Shop did not indicate which products were limited or which systems were unavailable at the stores. Products including milk, cottage cheese, and chicken breasts have reportedly been out of stock at numerous retailers. There have also been claims that the cybersecurity problem has limited product deliveries and impacted certain retailers’ capacity to take payments with debit or gift cards.
Due to the problem, Hannaford’s website was unavailable both on Monday and throughout the weekend. However, Phillips-Brown reported that the website is now operational and that the store’s pickup and delivery options are available.
In Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and other states, NBC News was able to find at least 27 Stop & Shop stores that news organizations or internet users reported were experiencing problems distributing their products. Medeiros stated that product availability has differed by store and that Stop & Shop was unable to supply several of the outlets impacted by the shortages.
According to Nicole Cotton, a Boston resident who recently visited Stop & Shop, she saw that there were hardly no meat products available. She further mentioned that when her roommate visited the store on Friday and she visited on Sunday, the shelves were still largely empty. Cotton stated that scanning the deli meat she was purchasing was difficult for her as well.
I observed that there wasn’t much ground turkey or chicken at my local Stop & Shop. Cotton mentioned that there was ground beef. However, there was absolutely nothing in the way of produce or veggies. No cucumbers, no carrots. Nothing was chilled, although they did have fruit and other items.
Customers of Stop & Shop vented on social media. A Facebook user posted images of bare shelves from a Stop & Shop in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, along with the message, “Avoid Stop & Shop as their shelves are empty.” A TikTok user shared a video of empty shelves in a South Boston Stop & Shop, and it has received over 40,000 views. Numerous people who left comments on both blogs claimed to have encountered identical situations at other Stop & Shop locations.
The problems were in line with a ransomware attack, according to Alan Liska, a ransomware analyst with the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. In a ransomware attack, hackers lock down a target company’s computer network and demand bitcoin payments. Businesses affected by ransomware may encounter considerable delays in either removing the malicious software from the machines or taking them offline in advance to protect them.
The [Stop and Shop] attack has all the characteristics of a ransomware attack, including disruption of the supply chain, halted payment processing, and overall confusion, although we don’t have confirmation or any ransomware group has claimed credit for it, Liska added.
A ransomware attack during the summer forced JBS, the biggest beef supplier in the world, to take some of its systems offline and stop several work shifts in North America and Australia. Gas stations experienced shortages as a result of a similar attack on Colonial Pipeline, a significant U.S. fuel provider, which forced the company to be offline for several days. The corporation was able to pay $4.4 million in ransom to the hackers with ties to Russia.
Stop & Shop, which declared over the summer that it will eliminate dozens of its underperforming stores, is at a vulnerable moment due to the cybersecurity issue. Additionally, the retailers had to deal with the problem of meeting client requests as Thanksgiving drew near. The stores are on pace to have Thanksgiving merchandise accessible, though, according to Medeiros, the spokesperson.
According to her, Stop & Shop has plenty of hams and turkeys for the approaching Thanksgiving holiday in addition to basic items like stuffing, gravy, and potatoes. Customers may notice that some fresh items are not readily available in some retail locations, but we are trying to replenish such items and anticipate ongoing improvement in all affected stores before the weekend. We look forward to supporting our customers during their holiday celebrations and appreciate their patience.
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