Hackers steal personal data from parent of North Face, Timberland

VF Corp. is disclosing a cyberattack that exposed some company data, including personal data.

In a brief form 8K statement released to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the parent company of The North Face, Timberland and Vans reported that on Dec. 13, 2023, it detected “unauthorized occurrences” on a portion of its IT systems. 

Upon detecting the unauthorized occurrences, VF Corp. said it immediately began taking steps to contain, assess and remediate the incident, including beginning an investigation with external cybersecurity experts, activating its incident response plan, shutting down some systems and cooperating with federal law enforcement. 

The company said that a cyberintruder was able to encrypt some of its IT systems and steal data that included personal data. VF Corp. has not yet disclosed what type of personal data, how many people may have been affected, or whether the data came from customers, current or former employees, current or former contractors, or other types of people. 

In addition, VF Corp. has not publicly specified which banners were affected by the cyberattack. The company is working to bring the systems it has temporarily shut down in response to the incident back online, as well to implement workarounds to reduce operational disruptions. 

Currently, VF-operated retail stores globally are open, and consumers can purchase available merchandise. However, the company said it is experiencing an impact on its ability to fulfill online orders. 

According to VF Corp., the full scope, nature and impact of the incident are not yet known, but it has had and is “reasonably likely” to continue to have a material impact on business operations until it completes recovery efforts. VF Corp. said it has not yet determined whether the incident is “reasonably likely” to materially impact its financial condition or operational results.

Read the full VF Corp. Form 8-K statement here.

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