SuperValu data breach ‘more extensive’ than first believed

12 Nov 2013

Image via Wikimedia Commons

A security breach at SuperValu has affected 23,500 more customers than the supermarket chain previously believed, bringing the total number of customers affected from 39,000 to 62,500.

More than 30,000 of those customers are in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

There is a ‘high risk’ that the payment details of customers who paid for SuperValu Getaway Breaks between January 2011 and February 2012 have been compromised, the company said.

Data breach hits AXA

Loyaltybuild also manages insurance company AXA’s leisure break rewards programme.

AXA also confirmed it has been hit by a data breach that has affected up to 8,000 customers.

An unauthorised third party had accessed details of cards used to pay for AXA Leisure Breaks between January 2011 and February 2012, AXA said.

“The protection of our customers’ information is an absolute priority for us at all times and as yet there is no information to suggest that any data has been obtained,” SuperValu said in a statement on its Getaway Breaks website.

“However as a precautionary measure we are advising anyone who has booked a Getaway Break recently to review their accounts and report any unusual activity or unsolicited communication relating to this issue to their financial institution.”

Customers are also being advised to be wary of any unsolicited communication claiming to be from or representing SuperValu, Getaway Breaks, or Loyaltybuild.

Loyaltybuild is the company that manages the Getaway Breaks programme.

Loyaltybuild has notified the Data Protection Commissioner and SuperValu that the data breach was “more extensive than it first anticipated”. The breach was originally reported on 4 November.

SuperValu and Loyaltybuild are working to resolve the issue quickly. The supermarket chain has also employed its own IT security consultants to investigate the Loyaltybuild system, and emphasised the breach was in data collected and held by Loyaltybuild on Getaway Breaks customers only and did not involve other SuperValu customers.

Customers can call a helpline at 0818 220 088.

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com