Co-op aware of claims IT data copied in 'cybersecurity' incident

Federated Co-op Limited (FCL) says it's aware of statements made online claiming hackers are threatening to release sensitive data stolen from the company.

“We are aware of statements made online that data was allegedly copied from the FCL IT environment and will allegedly be released,” FCL spokesperson Brad DeLorey said in a response to CTV News.

The company explained that while it’s possible the allegations are related to the “cybersecurity incident” the company suffered on June 27 — that will be determined by the third-party experts currently investigating.

“If the investigation determines that data was in fact compromised, as previously stated, we will take appropriate action,” DeLorey said.

FCL noted that the incident has been contained.

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Co-op locations across western Canada were plagued by system outages over the past two weeks, leading to closures of gas bars, lack of inventory at grocery stores and other logistical issues.

The company reiterated that when the incident was discovered, several systems were taken offline as a precaution.

“As we continue forward with resuming normal operations, we’re working towards bringing all systems back online safely,” DeLorey added.

“We once again want to thank Co-op members, customers and the public for their patience and understanding.”

A cyberattack that involves locking a victim’s private data or device and threatening to keep it, or to leak the contents publicly, is classified as a ransomware attack.

FCL is the latest company to fall victim to cybersecurity issues in recent months, following London Drugs and Ticketmaster.