Data Security Incident at Forever 21 Impacts Nearly Half a Million Individuals

The renowned fashion retailer, Forever 21, in a notification disclosed a data breach incident that is said to have affected over 500K of its current and former employees. The breach in no way impacted the customers of the company.

In the sample letter submitted to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, the Los Angeles-headquartered company revealed that it had identified a cyberattack on some of its systems on March 20.

The attack which is said to have occurred over a period of over two months, saw an unidentified hacker gain access to its systems multiple times between January 5 to March 21, 2023. Post discovery, the company partnered with a cybersecurity firm and launched an investigation.

During the investigation, the company found that the unidentified third-party had used the attack to extract company data. ‘’Findings from the investigation indicate the unauthorized third party obtained select files from certain Forever 21 systems during this time period,’’ the notice read.

In August, Forever 21 sent out notices to the affected 539,207 individuals, wherein they discussed the incident in its entirety along with information on the stolen personal data.

The stolen information included, full name, Social Security Number (SSN), date of birth, bank account number (without access code or pin), Forever 21 health plan details, including the individuals’ enrolment and premium paid details.

In the notification, the company also notes that there was no evidence regarding any misuse of stolen data. “We have no evidence to suggest your information has been misused for purposes of fraud or identity theft as a result of this incident – and no reason to believe that it will be.’’

While no details were shared about the attack or the attacker behind the incident. From the company’s statement, it can be deduced that it had engaged with the hackers to ensure that the stolen data was erased and not used for any fraudulent activities.

As a precaution, it is also providing a 12-month complimentary fraud and identity protection service to the affected individuals.