A popular grocery chain in Canada has informed members of its loyalty program that their personal details were compromised in a cyberattack. Save-On-Foods, a supermarket chain in Western Canada, detected unauthorized activity on one of its servers on October 13 and acted swiftly to contain it. The company then engaged a cybersecurity expert to investigate the breach.

Affected customers were notified via email, stating that their names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and dates of birth were accessed during the incident. Although the exact number of impacted customers was not disclosed, the Pattison Food Group, the chain’s parent company, boasts a More Rewards program with over 3.5 million members.

Save-On-Foods clarified that no sensitive information like credit card data or passwords was compromised based on the available information. However, cybersecurity experts warn that personal data stolen in such breaches can be exploited by cybercriminals for phishing attacks, where they impersonate trusted entities to deceive individuals into divulging confidential information or making financial transactions.

The breach has sparked concerns among the community, with various individuals voicing frustration on social platforms about the requirement to disclose personal information for loyalty benefits. Some customers reported encountering issues while attempting to change their passwords following the breach notification.

In response to the incident, Save-On-Foods advised More Rewards members to remain vigilant against suspicious communications and assured that the company would not request passwords, financial details, or other sensitive information through unsolicited messages. The supermarket chain also stated that it had informed relevant authorities and privacy regulators about the breach. CBC News attempted to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B.C. for a statement regarding the breach but received no response at the time of publication.