Ace Hardware was struck by a severe cyber attack that left its systems down. The popular company is scrambling to restore them.
Ace Hardware is the world’s largest cooperatively owned hardware store. Its global sales have surpassed $22 billion across its 5,800+ stores located in more than 60 countries. This attack caused many of its systems to become suspended, grinding their organization to a halt.
“On Sunday morning, we detected a cybersecurity incident that is impacting the majority of our IT systems,” states an email that Ace Hardware President John Venhuizen sent out, explaining the situation.
As of now, no criminal group has come forth or been identified, but law enforcement officers are investigating. The situation is still evolving and new details about the nature of the attack may surface soon. Venhuizen describes the situation as “a battle of good versus evil.”
“As a result of this incident, many of our key operating systems, including ACENET, our Warehouse Management Systems, the Ace Retailer Mobile Assistant (ARMA), Hot Sheets, Invoices, Ace Rewards, and the Care Center’s phone system have been interrupted or suspended,” states the email.
Fortunately, bank cards, PoS systems, and other financial information don’t appear to be harmed. Ace Hardware urged stores to stay open during this time and continue taking sales while it resolves the problem.
“Scheduled deliveries are adversely impacted, and retailers are requested to refrain from placing additional orders for now, as these cannot be processed,” says the company’s email. Customer orders and customer shipments were also shut down on Oct. 30 and 31.
“Nothing is more important than restoring all operations as soon as humanly possible,” Venhuizen said to his 5,800+ retailers.
“Your Ace team, along with the support of a group of technical forensic experts, is working feverishly to resolve this situation,” he said.
More details are likely to surface as investigations continue.