Doughnut chain Krispy Kreme says it has been hit by a cyberattack which has disrupted its on-line techniques.
Some prospects have been unable to make on-line orders because of the hack, which occurred in late November however has solely simply been disclosed.
Krispy Kreme revealed the assault in a regulatory submitting with the US Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) on Wednesday.
It mentioned the incident was “fairly seemingly” to “have a cloth influence” on the agency’s enterprise operations, however clarified that brick-and-mortar retailers stay open.
“We’re experiencing sure operational disruptions on account of a cybersecurity incident, together with with on-line ordering in elements of the United States,” reads a message on the Krispy Kreme web site.
“We know that is an inconvenience and are working diligently to resolve the problem.”
The agency informed the BBC in a press release it “instantly” took steps to research and comprise the incident, and has introduced in cybersecurity consultants.
“We, together with them, proceed to work diligently to answer and mitigate the influence from the incident, together with the restoration of on-line ordering,” it mentioned.
No teams have publicly taken accountability for the hack.
Krispy Kreme is a big chain within the US, which has greater than 1,400 retailers worldwide.
In the UK it’s smaller, however its 120 places make it the biggest speciality doughnut retailer within the nation.
Krispy Kreme said in its SEC submitting that it has cybersecurity insurance coverage, which it expects “to offset a portion of the prices”.
It mentioned it anticipated these prices to come up from a lack of digital gross sales, charges for the consultants it has employed, and the restoration of impacted techniques.
Cyber-attacks have induced severe disruption this yr, plaguing key infrastructure together with hospitals and transport techniques.
“The proliferation of cyberattacks in 2024 exhibits that hackers are prepared to focus on something and all the pieces,” mentioned Spencer Starkey, from cyber-security agency SonicWall.
“It’s important each single enterprise has a strong roadmap in place to deploy if and when an assault occurs,” he added.
Social media is taking this incident considerably much less significantly, nevertheless.
“Anyone messing with Krispy Kreme needs to be jailed for all times,” joked one person on X.
“Cybercriminals, you’ve got gone too far this time,” posted one other.
