FILE

Jollibee Foods Corporation has reported a significant data breach affecting approximately 11 million customers across its brands, including Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Burger King, Yoshinoya, and Panda Express.

The breach involved unauthorized access to their cloud computing service, compromising sensitive personal information such as dates of birth and senior citizen ID numbers.

Atty. Rainier Anthony Millanes, Chief of the National Privacy Commission’s (NPC) Compliance and Monitoring Division indicated that the breach may be linked to similar incidents globally, involving around 165 companies. The common thread appears to be the use of a shared cloud computing service provider implicated in multiple data breaches worldwide.

Jollibee Foods Corp. is currently conducting an internal investigation and has requested an additional 20 days to identify and notify affected individuals. They are obliged to inform customers and provide assistance in protecting their data from potential misuse, including identity theft and phishing scams.

Authorities, including the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police Cybercrime Division, are working to identify the perpetrators, including the group allegedly operating under the alias 'Spider'. The possibility of an inside job has not been ruled out.

In response to the breach, Millanes emphasized the importance for companies, especially those processing large amounts of data, to enhance their cybersecurity measures to prevent future incidents and safeguard customer information.