A new market disruption is hitting grocery store shelves. In the coming weeks, just as flu season begins, shoppers could look at the empty spaces where their Clorox cleaning products once sat.
This time, the culprit is not the pandemic, but a cyberattack.
in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission On Monday, Clorox Company said it had identified unauthorized activity on some of its information technology systems and was forced to process orders manually. The slower pace of operations was affecting the availability of its products, he said.
“The cybersecurity attack damaged portions of the company’s IT infrastructure, causing a large-scale disruption to Clorox operations,” he said. The company said it discovered the breach on August 11 and disclosed it in an SEC filing three days later.
Clorox, a publicly traded company, said it expected to return to automated order processing next week. It has resumed production “at the vast majority of its manufacturing sites and expects the ramp-up to full production to occur over time.”
But he did not provide an estimate of how long it would take to return to normal. The cyberattack, he said, “has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, disruptions to portions of the company’s business operations.”
Clorox is not the only one that has recently reported cyberattacks. Last week, the casino and hotel chain MGM Resorts International said a “cybersecurity issue” was affecting some of its online systems, causing disruptions to customers, particularly in Las Vegas.
Other cyberattacks around the world have affected a gasoline pipe, hospitals, supermarket chains and one of the largest meat processors in the world.
These attacks have contributed to upheavals in the consumer goods market that were exacerbated by the pandemic, which triggered Panic buying of toilet paper., cleaning products and basic necessities. Consumers have weathered recalls, supply chain issues and labor problems that deepened shortages. baby formula and caused shortages of items ranging from lumber to computer chips. Avian flu was a high factor egg prices earlier this year.
Clorox’s cybersecurity issues are expected to impact access to some of the company’s most popular products, including its wipes and cleaning materials like Pine-Sol, just as consumer concerns about flu season begin to emerge. . Seasonal flu viruses are detected year-round in the United States. , but normally circulate more widely during fall and winter.
“We have resumed production, have shipped certain shipments, and remain in constant contact with customers about their immediate needs,” Clorox said in a written response to questions Tuesday. But the company added that it could not quantify quantities due to product delays and disruptions.