Kellogg’s Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Employee Data

Summary

WK Kellogg disclosed a data breach impacting employee data. Attackers exploited vulnerabilities in Cleo, a file transfer software, accessing servers with sensitive employee files. Kellogg is offering affected individuals free identity theft protection.

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** Main Story**

Okay, so WK Kellogg just disclosed a pretty serious data breach. And it’s got some real implications, especially when you think about third-party vendor security. It all stems from a vulnerability in Cleo, that file transfer software they use to send employee data to HR.

Apparently, the Clop ransomware group, which is a nasty bunch, exploited it. They’re believed to have gotten in way back in December of last year, but Kellogg only discovered it in late February. Can you imagine the scramble? Names and Social Security numbers are involved, potentially exposing folks to identity theft. That’s never good news.

Clop’s Playbook: Double Extortion

Clop isn’t exactly new to this. In fact, they’re well-known for targeting these file transfer tools. What they do is this: it’s called ‘double extortion.’ They encrypt your data, sure, but then they also steal sensitive stuff and threaten to leak it unless you pay up. It’s ruthless. They’ve hit companies using MOVEit Transfer and Accellion’s File Transfer Appliance before, impacting millions. And honestly, what’s worse is that, they actually listed Kellogg on their dark web extortion site before the official notification went out. Talk about aggressive!

Kellogg’s Response: Damage Control and Lessons Learned

So, what’s Kellogg doing? Well, they launched an investigation, contacted Cleo, and are notifying everyone affected by mail. They’re also offering a year of free identity theft protection through Kroll – you know, credit monitoring, fraud consultation, the works. It’s a start, but is it enough? I don’t know.

This whole thing is a major wake-up call about third-party security. Even if you’ve got rock-solid security internally, you’re still vulnerable if your partners have holes. I mean, it’s only as strong as its weakest link, right? It really highlights how important it is to vet vendors thoroughly, making sure they’re following security best practices, and always staying vigilant.

I remember a situation at my previous company, not quite this scale, but similar. We assumed a vendor had adequate security, and it bit us hard when their system was compromised. Ever since, I’ve been a real stickler for vendor risk assessments. It’s a pain, but absolutely necessary.

The Bigger Picture: A Systemic Problem

And let’s be clear, the Kellogg breach isn’t a one-off. It’s part of a broader campaign by Clop targeting companies using Cleo. So, two specific vulnerabilities, CVE-2024-50623 and CVE-2024-55956, allowed attackers to get into servers and steal data. Even though Cleo released a patch for one of them back in October, it turned out to be, well, inadequate. Basically, they released a patch that didn’t actually work.

Does this not make you question the effectiveness of patches sometimes? Organizations need to be on top of their updates and patching. Otherwise, they’re just sitting ducks. Which they were in this case, I suppose.

But, as of today, April 12, 2025, investigations are still ongoing. So, the full extent of the breach may not be known yet. It’s a developing story, and I’m sure more details will come out as things progress. Ultimately, it underscores the growing threat of ransomware and data breaches and that emphasizes the need for individuals and organizations to remain vigilant and proactive in protecting sensitive information. You just can’t be too careful these days.