Yum! Brands, the fast food brand operator of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill fast-food restaurant chains, has been targeted by a ransomware attack that forced the closure of 300 locations in the United Kingdom.
Yum! Brands operates 53,000 restaurants across 155 countries and territories, with over $5 billion in total assets and $1.3 billion in yearly net profit.
“Promptly upon detection of the incident, the Company initiated response protocols, including deploying containment measures such as taking certain systems offline and implementing enhanced monitoring technology,” Yum! Brands explained in a press statement.
The company also initiated an investigation, engaged the services of industry-leading cybersecurity and forensics professionals, and notified Federal law enforcement.
The impacted restaurants in the United Kingdom have returned to normal operations and are not expected to face any other problems relevant to the cyberattack.
Ransomware actors typically steal data from breached networks to extort their victims.
Yum! Brands has confirmed that data was stolen in the attack but sees no evidence that customer information has been exposed.
“Although data was taken from the company’s network and an investigation is ongoing, at this stage, there is no evidence that customer databases were stolen,” reads the Yum! Brands announcement.
In an 8-K form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Yum! Brands assured investors the ransomware attack would cause no notable negative financial impact.
“While this incident caused temporary disruption, the company is aware of no other restaurant disruptions and does not expect this event to have a material adverse impact on its business, operations or financial results,” mentions the firm’s SEC report.
BleepingComputer has contacted Yum! Brands to learn more about when the breach occurred and how long the attackers might have maintained access to the company’s networks, and we will update this post as soon as we receive a response.
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-gang-steals-data-from-kfc-taco-bell-and-pizza-hut-brand-owner/
