Starbucks Faces Ransomware Attack and is Forced to Pay Their Bairstas Manually

Starbucks Faces Disruption After Ransomware Attack on Third-Party Service, Highlighting Growing Cybersecurity Threats During the Holiday Season

The famous coffee chain Starbucks recently switched to a manual payment system due to a third-party software system outage. This system was responsible for managing the baristas' schedules, but following the attack, the company was forced to make the change.

Like many other businesses, Starbucks also utilizes Blue Yonder cloud services to manage its supply chain. However, after Blue Yonder was hacked, many companies, including Starbucks, opted to revert to manual operations. When questioned about the specific companies affected by this attack, Starbucks declined to comment.

It has since been revealed that this breach was the result of a ransomware attack, a type of malware that causes widespread damage, amounting to billions of dollars annually. Ransomware works by blocking access to a user's or an organization's files through encryption. 

The cybercriminals behind the attack demand a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key, putting the affected parties in a difficult position where paying the ransom becomes the easiest way to regain access to their critical data.

In some instances, ransomware variants also steal sensitive data, which further pressures victims to comply with the demands. Just last year, cybercriminals extorted an estimated $1.1 billion from companies across the globe.

Experts predict that the frequency of such attacks is likely to rise during the upcoming holiday season as cybercriminals target organizations at a time when they may be more vulnerable.

Source: CNN