Ahold Delhaize was indeed hit by a hack: retailer files complaint

The IT incident that affected Ahold Delhaize was, after all, a cyberattack, as evidenced by the fact that the retailer filed a complaint with the Dutch police on Monday. The company is now making progress in restoring all services to full operation.

“Malicious actions”

The suspicious activities that led Ahold Delhaize to proactively take its online stores, apps, and other systems offline were the result of “malicious actions of others,” the retailer said in an update Monday evening. The press release does not explain why the company waited more than a week to formally file a complaint.

CEO Frans Muller does emphasize, however, that taking the systems offline was “the right decision.” The retailer also reiterates that there are no indications that sensitive data from customers, employees, or partners has been stolen. “As the investigation is ongoing, we are not sharing further details that could compromise security measures or interfere with our response efforts,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, Albert Heijn’s website and app are back online, and home delivery is expected to resume starting Friday, October 23. The Etos and Gall & Gall websites are also available to customers again. In Belgium, e-commerce is fully operational once more. Most websites and apps in Central and Southeastern Europe are also up and running again. The e-commerce services of the Ahold Delhaize supermarket chains in the U.S. are expected to become available in the coming days. The physical stores remained open throughout.