Hannaford reports computer intrusion

SCARBOROUGH, Maine Delhaize-owned Hannaford today announced that it has contained the data intrusion into its computer network that resulted in the theft of customer credit and debit card numbers. No personal information, such as names or addresses, was accessed or obtained, the company reported.

According to Hannaford, the data was accessed during the card authorization transmission process. The company said it is cooperating with credit and debit card issuers to ensure that those customers who may be affected by the theft are protected.

The intrusion impacted Hannaford stores in New England and New York state and Sweetbay stores in Florida. Also affected are certain, independently-owned retail locations in the Northeast that carry Hannaford products.

“For more than 125 years, Hannaford has been dedicated to earning the trust of our customers, and we sincerely regret any concern or inconvenience this has caused,” said Ronald Hodge, Hannaford president and ceo. “We have taken aggressive steps to augment our network security capabilities. Hannaford doesn’t collect, know or keep any personally identifiable customer information from transactions.” 

Hannaford said it first learned of the possible intrusion on Feb. 27, and immediately initiated a comprehensive investigation with the assistance of leading information technology security experts to safeguard customer information and determine the cause. The company also alerted law enforcement authorities and is working closely with them in the ongoing criminal investigation.