Over 185,000 individuals have had their personal information compromised following a major hack-and-extortion cyber attack targeting the convenience store giant 7-Eleven, which was officially reported to state regulators in April.
According to the data breach notification service Have I Been Pwned, the security incident has exposed highly sensitive details, including full names, dates of birth, and physical addresses. The breach also compromised victims’ phone numbers and email addresses.
Extortion Threat by ShinyHunters
The prominent tracking platform confirmed in a new listing that 7-Eleven fell victim to a sophisticated ransomware and extortion campaign. The notorious cybercriminal group known as ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the breach, threatening to leak the stolen database publicly if their ransom demands were not met.
Inside the 7-Eleven Data Leak
The mechanics of the security failure have been detailed in regulatory filings. According to a disclosure filed with Maine’s attorney general’s office, 7-Eleven Chief Information Security Officer Jim Kastle revealed that unauthorised actors managed to infiltrate an internal server containing confidential franchisee documentation.
Highly Sensitive Government Records Exposed
Further investigations paint an even more concerning picture of the specific data compromised during the intrusion. A separate regulatory report published by the Massachusetts attorney general said the breach also exposed critical government identifiers, including Social Security numbers and driver’s licence numbers.