On October 4, 2023, Walmart Inc. discovered that an unauthorized person had accessed information entrusted to it and filed a data breach notification with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Walmart’s recently filed notice does not describe the specific type of data that was compromised, but the incident likely affected at least protected health information. Once the investigation was complete, Walmart began sending data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.
If you receive a data breach notification from Walmart, Inc., it is important to understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach attorney can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud and identity theft, and discuss your legal options after a Walmart data breach. For more information, see our recent article on this topic. here.
What caused Walmart’s breach?
The Walmart data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected to be released in the near future. Unfortunately, Walmart’s filings with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights provide little information about what led to the violation. However, we know that companies are only required to notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights when a data breach occurs that affects the protected health information of at least 500 people. In this case, the Walmart data breach affected 85,952 people.
Once Walmart learned that sensitive consumer data was accessible to unauthorized parties, it investigated the compromised files and determined what information was exposed and which consumers were affected. . Based on the recent status of Walmart’s application, it appears that this process was completed only a short time ago. However, Walmart doesn’t appear to be disclosing the type of data that was leaked to the public, so it’s unclear exactly what information unauthorized parties had access to.
On October 4, 2023, Walmart sent out a data breach letter to everyone affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information about them was compromised.
More information about Walmart Inc.
Walmart, Inc. is a retail supermarket chain based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Walmart operates through three distinct segments: Walmart US, Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. Walmart operates 210 distribution centers through which it ships products. Walmart employs more than 2.1 million people and generates approximately $611 billion in annual revenue.