On October 17, 2023, Kwik Trip, Inc. posted a notice informing customers of an IT outage. While the company did not explicitly say that the outage was related to a cyberattack, it appears that is a distinct possibility. If the Kwik Trip outage was triggered by a cyberattack, it raises the question of whether any confidential consumer data in the company’s possession was compromised. Kwik Trip notes that it is still investigating the incident. However, if Kwik Trip confirms that consumer or employee data was compromised, it will be required to send data breach notification letters to all individuals who were affected by the recent data security incident.
If you receive a data breach notification from Kwik Trip, Inc., it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. While Kwik Trip has not yet confirmed a data breach, it is never too soon to prepare yourself for the possibility. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following a potential Kwik Trip data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What Caused the Kwik Trip IT Outage?
The Kwik Trip outage was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the future. However, for now, Kwik Trip’s posts on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, provide limited information on what led up to the incident.
According to this source, on October 8th, Kwik Trip started experiencing an IT outage impacting the company’s Kwik Rewards program, as well as its support systems, phone systems, and email systems. In Kwik Trip’s earliest posts, the incident was referred to as a “network incident.” However, in the more recent posts, Kwik Trip uses the term “outage.”
Kwik Trip has been fairly tight-lipped about the incident, potentially due to a pending investigation. For example, when BleepingComputer reached out to the company asking about whether the incident was indeed a cyberattack, a Kwik Trip representative responded that the company has retained security experts but that there is no evidence suggesting any data was stolen. While that doesn’t answer the question posed, it does seem to indicate that a cyberattack remains a possibility.
Kwik Trip’s most recent post about the outage was on October 17, 2023. In this post, Kwik Trip indicates that it is still working through its investigation. If Kwik Trip determines that confidential consumer or employee data was leaked as a result of the incident, the company will be required to send out data breach letters to anyone who was affected. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.
More Information About Kwik Trip, Inc.
Kwik Trip, Inc. is a convenience store chain based out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Kwik Trip operates more than 800 convenience stores and gas stations in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota, the company does business under the Kwik Star. Kwik Trip employs more than 35,000 people and generates approximately $7.4 billion in annual revenue.
