April 5, 2024 at 04:01PM
Panera Bread experienced outages in its ordering system, mobile apps, and loyalty programs on March 22. The disruption slowed operations, but stores remained open. Two weeks later, systems and customer service operations are back online. Complaints about transparency and concerns over personal data leaks have been raised, with suspicions of a ransomware attack.
From the meeting notes, several key takeaways are apparent:
1. On March 22, Panera Bread experienced IT disruptions affecting their ordering system, mobile apps, and loyalty programs. Operations were impacted, causing concerns among both customers and employees.
2. Despite the IT disruption, Panera Bread stores remained open, and as of two weeks later, their systems, websites, and customer service lines have been restored online.
3. Real concerns have been raised about the lack of transparency surrounding the outage, as Panera Bread has not provided additional information on their website and did not respond to requests for comment from Dark Reading.
4. There are customer fears related to the security of personal data, with some expressing concerns about potential data leaks linked to Panera loyalty accounts.
5. Cybersecurity expert Sean Deuby suggested that a ransomware attack could be the cause of the outages, emphasizing the need for a robust response and recovery plan to tackle such a threat.
These takeaways highlight the impact of the IT disruptions on Panera Bread, while also underscoring the importance of transparency and data security in response to such incidents.