Clorox hack forces system shutdown, business disruption
The Clorox Company, a major US consumer products maker, was forced to shut down some of its systems, disrupting some of its daily operations.
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The Clorox Company, a major US consumer products maker, was forced to shut down some of its systems, disrupting some of its daily operations.
A breach of Clorox’s IT systems forced it to take some of its processes offline, the company said in an 8-K filing. The shutdown was part of attempts to remediate unauthorized activity on the company’s network.
“To the extent possible, and in line with its business continuity plans, Clorox has implemented workarounds for certain offline operations in order to continue servicing its customers,” reads the filing.
However, Clorox added that the breach has already caused, and is expected to continue to cause, disruption to parts of its business operations.
The company's spokesperson confirmed to Cybernews that its systems are impacted by the incident.
“While we are working diligently to respond to and address this issue, these systems will remain offline as we work to add additional protections to further secure them. As a result, some operations are temporarily impaired. We are following our business continuity plans and implementing workarounds where possible,” Clorox's spokesperson said.
A situation update on the company’s website says that Clorox’s plants and distribution centers have activated business continuity plans to fulfill placed orders.
While the statement does not reveal the type of attack the company suffered, prolonged operational disruptions may point to a ransomware attack.
Ransomware gangs encrypt victims’ systems to induce downtime costs, forcing organizations to pay the ransom if they want to resume operations.
According to the filing, Clorox engaged third-party experts to investigate the nature and scope of what’s described as an “ongoing attack.”
Clorox owns many well-known household goods brands such as Brita, Clorox, Lestoil, Kingsford, Formula 409, and others. The company enjoyed revenues exceeding $7 billion in 2022 and employs over 9,000 staff.
Updated on August 17 [02:45 PM GMT] with a statement from Clorox.