Snack Giant Mondelez Announces Data Breach Involving Sensitive Employee Information

Oreo maker Mondelez in a recently published notification announced a data breach incident that exposed sensitive information of more than 50,000 past and present employees. The attack was on Bryan Cave’s network system, a law firm that provides legal services to Mondelez, one of the largest snack companies in the world.

The week-long attack was first noticed by Bryan Cave on February 23, 2023. It noticed unauthorized access to its network system, including the area where customer data is stored.

The attack which lasted until March 1, 2023, extracted data which included Mondelez employees’ personal information like names, addresses, marital status, social security number, employee identification number, date of birth, and gender. It also included Mondelez retirement and/or thrift plan information. There was no disclosure of any user-linked bank or credit card details.

On March 24, 2023, Mondelez was informed about the data breach. Based on the information provided by Brian Cave, the company was able to determine the list of affected employees by May 22, 2023. The June 15, notification was issued after a thorough investigation by Mondelez, in which it reiterated its claim that the incident did not affect its internal network system in any way.

Mondelez further stated that Bryan Cave had already taken the necessary security measures to mitigate the threat. The law firm had immediately launched an investigation and hired a third-party cybersecurity forensic firm to understand the scope of the attack and informed the designated law enforcement agency.

Mondelez also notified the concerned employees and urged them to monitor their banking and other financial transactions to avoid phishing and credential-stuffing attacks. The company also announced a 24-month access to Experian IdentityWorksSM Credit Plus 1B for affected employees.

In 1923, founded as Kraft Foods Inc., Mondelez International was established in 2012, when Kraft Foods was renamed as Mondelez. The US-based snacking company popular brands include Oreo, Tang, Dairy Milk, etc. With offices in more than 80 countries, the company employs around 91,000 people and earned a revenue of around $31.5 billion in 2022.