--- title: "Major QSR Owner Releases Data Breach Notification Three Months After Ransomware Attack | Phish Protection" description: "Yum Brands, a victim of a ransomware attack, has revealed a data breach that may have compromised sensitive information." image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/major-qsr-owner-releases-data-breach-notification-three-months-after-ransomware-attack.png" canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/major-qsr-owner-releases-data-breach-notification-three-months-after-ransomware-attack/" --- Quick Answer Yum Brands, a victim of a ransomware attack, has revealed a data breach that may have \*\*compromised\*\* sensitive information, emphasizing the critical role of robust \[phishing protection\](/) solutions in safeguarding against cyber threats. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fmajor-qsr-owner-releases-data-breach-notification-three-months-after-ransomware-attack%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Major%20QSR%20Owner%20Releases%20Data%20Breach%20Notification%20Three%20Months%20After%20Ransomware%20Attack&url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fmajor-qsr-owner-releases-data-breach-notification-three-months-after-ransomware-attack%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fmajor-qsr-owner-releases-data-breach-notification-three-months-after-ransomware-attack%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fmajor-qsr-owner-releases-data-breach-notification-three-months-after-ransomware-attack%2F&title=Major%20QSR%20Owner%20Releases%20Data%20Breach%20Notification%20Three%20Months%20After%20Ransomware%20Attack "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=Major%20QSR%20Owner%20Releases%20Data%20Breach%20Notification%20Three%20Months%20After%20Ransomware%20Attack&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fmajor-qsr-owner-releases-data-breach-notification-three-months-after-ransomware-attack%2F "Share via Email") ![Phish Protection blog post image](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2023/04/phishing-email-prevention-5599.jpg) Yum Brands, a victim of a ransomware attack, has revealed a data breach that may have **compromised** sensitive information, emphasizing the critical role of robust [phishing protection](/) solutions in safeguarding against cyber threats. The American fast food corporation Yum! Brands underwent a [ransomware attack](/resources/ransomware-attack-why-organizations-pay-ransom) on January 13, 2023 . Yum! Brands owns renowned global restaurant chains like KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell and has 55,000 restaurants in 155 countries. The company noticed a ransomware attack on January 13, 2023, which **affected some data** stored in its systems. However, Yum! Brands initially stated that there is no evidence of customer data being compromised. Two months later, the company is now sending out [breach notification](https://www.teiss.co.uk/news/tallahassee-memorial-healthcare-sends-breach-notification-after-a-cyber-attack-11986) letters to individuals, informing them that their personal data might have been stolen after the ransomware attack! ### What Information Was Affected? As per Yum! Brands’ latest[report](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23769103-yum-brands-notification-letter)revealed that individuals’ **personal information**, such as their names, driver’s licenses, and other ID card numbers, were leaked because of the January 2023 breach. The latest investigations do not show any signs of stolen information being used for criminal activity, such as **data theft** and [identity fraud](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230329005499/en/Identity-Fraud-Cost-Nearly-Half-a-Million-US-Dollars-to-Every-Third-Bank-Last-Year-Says-Regula-Global-Survey). However, this does not mean there is no scope for the same! ![Phishing email prevention](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2023/04/phishing-email-prevention-5599.jpg) ### What was the Attack All About? > “Zero-day phishing URLs have an average lifespan of just 12 hours before they’re added to blocklists. During that window, traditional signature-based filters are blind. Our real-time behavioral analysis catches these threats by pattern, not by signature - which is how we detect attacks that no database has seen yet.” - **Adam Lundrigan**, CTO, DuoCircle _On or around January 13, Yum! Brands was attacked by an unknown ransomware group._ The initial forensic investigation indicated that some employees’ personal information might have been compromised in the [security incident](/phishing-awareness/mailchimp-security-incident-impact-digitaloceans-customers). In an abundance of caution, the company informed federal law enforcement authorities about the attack and **temporarily shut down** its IT systems across 300 restaurants in the UK to contain the attack. In addition, the company incorporated other security measures like 24\*7 monitoring and detection technology and hiring external [cybersecurity](/content/cybersecurity-in-a-nutshell) experts to investigate and contain the spread of the attack. ### How is Yum! Brands Handling the Attack? Soon after discovering the infiltration, Yum! Brands began proactively working towards **stopping the spread** of the attack. It announced the attack on January 18, 2023, and has taken necessary [incident response](https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/incident-response#:~:text=Incident%20response%20is%20an%20organized,recovery%20time%20and%20total%20costs.) measures since then. The US-based fast-food giant reported a whopping annual net profit of $1.3 billion . Although the attack led to a shutdown of around 300 restaurants in the United Kingdom for a day, there seems to be **no prominent impact** on the company’s profits and operations. The other significant details of the attack, such as when and how the attack happened, for how long the adversaries had access to the compromised networks, etc., are yet to be disclosed or perhaps identified. From the beginning, Yum! Brands has maintained that there is no evidence suggesting a breach of **customer information**. The attackers could access some of its [employee data](https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/wh-smith-says-employee-data-was-illegally-accessed-in-cyber-incident-3828255), and the company is now sending breach notifications to such individuals. However, it is known for a fact that the usual norm of demanding a ransom after an attack wasn’t seen in this case. So far, the adversaries haven’t approached Yum! Brands with any [ransom](https://cybernews.com/news/ferrari-hit-by-cyber-incident/) note. This, in turn, raises questions about the **adversaries’ intentions** behind the attack! ### What is the Current Status? Yum! Brands mentioned in its breach notification that it had incurred several expenses since the attack, which included responding to, investigating, and **remediating the attack**. In a January filing with the US [SEC](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sec.asp), the company assured its investors that the attack would not majorly impact its financials. Although notifications are being sent to the affected individuals, the exact number of employees whose personal information was **compromised remains undisclosed**. ### What Should Yum! Brands Breach Victims Do? ![Protection from phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2023/04/protection-from-phishing-6644.jpg) While there is no evidence of [compromised](https://yr.media/news/cyberattack-hackers-xula-xavier-hbcu-student-ariyana-griffin/) personal information being misused so far, it is recommended that all individuals who received breach notifications take some **precautionary measures**. The first thing recommended is availing of the two years **complimentary credit monitoring** and identity protection service offered by Yum! Brands (via IDX). _You must also review account statements, monitor credit reports for suspicious activities, and remain cautious while opening or responding to emails from unknown sources._ ### Final Words Today, [cyberattacks](https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/04/cyberattacks-strike-israeli-banks-iran-celebrates-quds-day) are part and parcel of our online dealings, and hence preparedness to tackle the probability of our personal information being compromised is essential. We must inculcate the habit of not having all our money stored in one bank account, especially the one we use to pay at stores or for **online payments**. The habit of **changing account passwords** from time to time and setting strong and unique passwords for all online accounts is another important security measure. Lastly, remaining vigilant online, updating patches, and having backups of important data are vital measures to ensure you stay protected from [threat actors](/phishing/threat-actors-target-western-digital-cripple-its-my-cloud-service). ## Topics [ Phishing Awareness ](/tags/phishing-awareness/) ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) [ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) General Manager Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across DuoCircle's 2,000+ customer base. [LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) ## Protect your inbox from phishing attacks Real-time email security with 60-day free trial. No credit card required. [Start Free Trial](https://portal.duocircle.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=101&brand=phishprotection) [View Pricing](/pricing/) ## Related Articles [ Foundational 5m 0ktapus, Okta Breach Helps Attackers Launch Sophisticated Supply Chain Attacks Sep 5, 2022 ](/blog/0ktapus-okta-breach-helps-attackers-launch-sophisticated-supply-chain-attacks/)[ Foundational 14m 12 Real-World Spear Phishing Examples And The Red Flags You Missed Feb 4, 2026 ](/blog/12-real-world-spear-phishing-examples-and-the-red-flags-you-missed/)[ Foundational 2m 8 million Android users fell prey to SpyLoan malware on Google Play Store Dec 5, 2024 ](/blog/8-million-android-users-fell-prey-to-spyloan-malware-on-google-play-store/)[ Foundational 1m A Big Part of the Phishing Problem is You Sep 17, 2019 ](/blog/a-big-part-of-the-phishing-problem-is-you/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. 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