Major Data Breach at Ahold Delhaize Impacts 2.2 Million Individuals: A Detailed Overview
TL;DR
A recent ransomware attack on Ahold Delhaize, a prominent Dutch-Belgian retail company, resulted in a data breach affecting over 2.2 million individuals. The breach exposed sensitive personal information, and the company is offering free credit monitoring and identity protection to those affected.
Ahold Delhaize Data Breach: Over 2.2 Million Individuals Affected
A ransomware attack on the Dutch grocery giant Ahold Delhaize has led to a significant data breach affecting more than 2.2 million people. This incident underscores the growing threat of cybercrime in the retail sector.
About Ahold Delhaize
Ahold Delhaize is a Dutch-Belgian multinational retail and wholesale holding company formed from the 2016 merger of Ahold (Dutch) and Delhaize Group (Belgian). The company operates various business formats, including supermarkets, convenience stores, hypermarkets, online grocery and non-food stores, drugstores, and liquor stores. With 16 local brands and over 7,716 stores across nine countries, Ahold Delhaize employs approximately 402,000 people.
Impact on U.S. Operations
Ahold Delhaize operates several supermarkets and e-commerce sites in the U.S., including:
- Food Lion
- Giant Food
- Hannaford
- Stop & Shop
- The Giant Company
On November 8, 2024, the U.S. branch of Ahold Delhaize detected a cybersecurity issue that impacted its network infrastructure. Despite the incident, all brand stores remained open and continued serving customers.
Details of the Data Breach
The cybersecurity issue disrupted operations at several U.S. subsidiaries, including Giant Food, Hannaford, Food Lion, The Giant Company, and Stop & Shop. An investigation, conducted with the help of external cybersecurity experts and coordinated with U.S. federal law enforcement, revealed that an unauthorized third party accessed and obtained files from an internal file repository between November 5 and 6, 2024.
The compromised files contained various types of personal information, such as:
- Names
- Contact information (postal and email addresses, telephone numbers)
- Dates of birth
- Government-issued identification numbers (Social Security, passport, and driver’s license numbers)
- Financial account information (bank account numbers)
- Health information (workers’ compensation information and medical details contained in employment records)
- Employment-related information
“Given the nature of the file repository, the files that may have been affected contained different types of personal information… The types of impacted information vary by affected individual.” - Data Breach Notification Letter
Ahold Delhaize determined that the data breach impacted 2,242,521 individuals and is notifying them accordingly. The company is offering affected individuals two years of free credit monitoring and identity protection services.
Responsibility Claimed by Inc Ransom Group
In April 2025, the Inc Ransom group claimed responsibility for the Ahold Delhaize cyberattack. The company confirmed that internal data was likely stolen. The gang posted about 800 GB of the alleged 6 TB of stolen data on their leak site, suggesting that no ransom was paid.
Conclusion
The Ahold Delhaize data breach serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of cybercrime. As companies continue to digitize their operations, the need for robust cybersecurity measures becomes increasingly critical. Ahold Delhaize’s response, including offering free credit monitoring and identity protection, demonstrates a commitment to supporting affected individuals. However, the incident highlights the broader need for proactive cybersecurity strategies to safeguard sensitive information.
Additional Resources
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