BOISE, Idaho — Boise-based Albertsons is being sued over a data breach that affected about 33,000 employees.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court last week by former Utah-based Albertsons employee Laura Medina, the compromised information “included highly sensitive data that represents a gold mine for data thieves,” who will likely “either use it themselves for nefarious purposes or to sell it on the dark web.”
The breach happened in December of 2022, but employees did not find out until nearly five months later, in late April of 2023. In her lawsuit, Medina says “Albertsons knew or should have known that its electronic records would be targeted by cybercriminals, yet it failed to take the necessary precautions to protect [its employees].
The information exposed in the breach included names, driver’s license numbers, and Social Security numbers, and the lawsuit asks for the court to provide appropriate monetary relief to affected current and former employees. The lawsuit is also asking Albertsons to update its data security measures to ensure the security of employees’ private information in the future.
Albertsons Companies owns more than 2,200 stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia including its flagship Albertsons stores, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, and Randall’s among others.
We’ve reached out to Albertsons for comment on this lawsuit and data breach and they tell us, "Albertsons Companies recently notified affected individuals about a data security incident. The incident has been contained and we are providing affected individuals with access to identity protection services paid for by the company."
Medina is asking for a jury trial to move forward in this case.
