VF Corporation, the renowned global apparel and footwear entity behind brands like Vans, The North Face, Timberland, and Dickies, disclosed a recent cyber-attack in a filing submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission, USA. The intrusion, identified on 13th December, resulted in unauthorised activities observed within its IT systems, leading to data encryption and theft of personal information. The company acknowledges the potential disruption this attack may cause during the holiday shopping season, affecting its ability to process orders.
A company spokesperson indicated that while VF-operated retail stores remain open worldwide, certain operational disruptions are being experienced. Although consumers can currently make purchases of available merchandise through most brand e-commerce sites globally, the company’s capacity to fulfill orders has been compromised.
This cyber incident follows VF Corporation’s recent acknowledgment of financial challenges during its quarterly earnings meeting. The extent of the impact on customer data remains uncertain, with the company actively addressing the situation.
In such instances, global companies typically implement precautionary measures to contain the attack, such as rerouting network traffic, filtering or blocking traffic, and isolating compromised network segments. Law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and The District Attorney are often engaged to assist in these cases. The aftermath of this significant cyber-attack amidst of the holiday season underscores the critical need for businesses to integrate cybersecurity as a strategic imperative, defining cybersecurity roles within their organisational structure to safeguard against such threats.
