Petco’s security lapse affected customers’ SSNs, drivers’ licenses and more

Recently, Petco, the well-known pet products and services provider, acknowledged a significant data breach affecting the personal information of its customers. Although the company initially refrained from detailing the specific types of data involved, a mandatory filing with the Texas attorney general's office has since revealed the extent of the breach. The compromised information includes a range of sensitive details: names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial data such as credit and debit card information, and dates of birth. Petco also submitted similar notifications in California, Massachusetts, and Montana, where they reported varying numbers of affected individuals. In California, where the law mandates disclosure of breaches impacting at least 500 residents, the company did not specify the number of victims, hinting that the total may exceed that threshold. Ventura Olvera, a spokesperson for Petco, has yet to respond to inquiries about the overall number of customers impacted by this incident. For perspective, the company reported serving over 24 million customers in 2022. In a statement released to TechCrunch, Olvera mentioned that Petco has communicated additional information to those whose data was compromised. Furthermore, California’s attorney general has made public a sample letter sent to affected customers, which explained that the breach resulted from a misconfiguration in one of Petco's software applications. This lapse allowed certain files to be exposed online. Upon discovering the issue, Petco acted swiftly to rectify it and remove the exposed files from online access. The company also stated that it has implemented further security measures to prevent future occurrences. In light of the breach, Petco is offering affected customers complimentary credit and identity theft monitoring services to help them safeguard their personal information.