On Friday morning, March 4th, 2023, Chick-Fil-A released a statement regarding a data breach on their mobile app. The breach compromised the personal information of app users, including names, email addresses, and Chick-fil-A membership numbers, mobile payment numbers, QR codes, masked credit or debit card numbers, any money on personal Chick-fil-A accounts, and other personal information.

The breach was discovered after the company noticed strange login activity on a specific Chick-Fil-A One account. Chick-Fil-A then took steps to stop any further unauthorized activity, began an investigation, and contacted a national forensics firm. The attack was found to have occurred between December 2022 and February of this year, using email addresses and passwords from a third-party source.

Chick-Fil-A has taken a variety of measures to protect customer data, such as removing saved credit card information, sending alerts to customers to reset their passwords, temporarily freezing money in certain customers’ accounts, and reimbursing mobile accounts impacted by the cyber attack. The company is also increasing its online security, monitoring, and fraud control and encouraging their customers to use strong passwords to make their accounts less vulnerable to these attacks.

How to Prevent Data Breaches in Your Business

Chris Close, a cyber security expert with Cyber Sleuth Security’s Brooklyn office, was recently interviewed to provide advice on how businesses can prevent data breaches.

Close started by saying: "The first step in preventing data breaches is to understand the potential threats and vulnerabilities that exist in your system. Once you understand these, you can take the necessary steps to secure your system."

When asked about the importance of employee training, Close responded: "It's essential that all employees are aware of the potential threats and vulnerabilities that exist in your system. Training employees on cybersecurity protocols is an important part of ensuring that data breaches are prevented."

When asked about the importance of implementing strong security measures, Close said: "Businesses should also ensure that they have strong security measures in place, such as two-factor authentication, encryption, and regular patching of their systems. These measures can help to protect against data breaches."

Finally, when asked about the importance of monitoring systems for potential threats, Close said: "Monitoring systems for potential threats is also essential. By monitoring your system, you can identify potential threats quickly and take action to protect your system and data."

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Chick-fil-A announces app data breach, tells customers how to protect personal information