Golden Corral reveals data breach — thousands of customers affected as passwords, social security numbers stolen

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By Craig Hale
published

180,000 Golden Corral customers and employees affected by August 2023 breach

Data Breach
Image Credit: Shutterstock (Image credit: Shutterstock)

In a recent disclosure, popular American all-you-can-eat restaurant chain Golden Corral has revealed that it fell victim to a cyberattack back in August 2023, resulting in the unauthorized access and theft of personal information belonging to an estimated 180,000 individuals.

The breach also affected company operations temporarily, disrupting some of its corporate operations.

An investigation into the attack revealed that current and former employees and beneficiaries’ sensitive information had been risked between August 11 and August 15, 2023.

Golden Corral data breach

The company's announcement noted it took until January 26, 2024, for Golden Corral to locate address information for the affected individuals after confirming that certain information had been included in the data leak.

The disclosure confirms that employee, dependent and beneficiary names, Social Security numbers, financial account information, driver's license numbers, medical information, usernames and passwords, and health insurance information could all have been leaked.

“Golden Corral treats its responsibility to safeguard the information entrusted to it as an utmost priority," the company said in a statement. "As such, Golden Corral responded promptly to this incident and have been working diligently to provide an accurate and complete notice of the incident.”

Golden Corral’s immediate response was to cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies.

Although there’s no evidence of the misuse of the stolen information currently, the company is acting to protect those affected, who are being advised to exercise vigilance and take proactive steps to protect themselves.

TechRadar Pro has asked Golden Corral for more information regarding when the company first became aware of the breach, but the company did not immediately respond to our email.

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Craig Hale
Craig Hale

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!