Internal data breach at IKEA Canada impacts 95,000 customers

Leading furniture retailer IKEA Canada discovered a large internal data breach involving the personal information of approximately 95,000 customers, that includes customer names, email addresses, postal codes, phone numbers, and IKEA Family loyalty program numbers.

IKEA Canada public relations leader Kristin Newbigging said that an employee performed unsanctioned searches of the customer database between March 1 and 3. The customers’ personal information has appeared in a “generic search.”

During the unauthorized system access, no banking or financial information was exposed. The company has notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) about the incident and the customers who have been affected. It is said to have filed a breach report with the OPC.

IKEA has also reviewed and updated internal processes to avoid future incidents. According to IKEA, customers require to take no action, and the company has taken steps to prevent the data from being used, stored, or shared with third parties.

Meanwhile, the OPC reported that it received 782 breach reports in the fiscal year 2020-21, affecting at least nine million Canadian accounts. According to the privacy commissioner’s office, people should be vigilant about their personal and financial data, providing tips on dealing with data breaches and protecting personal information.