Dole Food Company

In June 2023, the California Attorney General disclosed a ransomware attack targeting Dole Food Company, which was initially detected in February 2023. The breach compromised employee personal data, including highly sensitive information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and employment-related records. While the exact number of affected individuals remains undisclosed, the incident poses significant risks due to the nature of the exposed data. Ransomware attacks often involve encryption of critical systems paired with threats of data exposure unless a ransom is paid. In this case, the focus on employee records rather than customer data suggests the attackers prioritized internal corporate information, potentially for financial extortion or identity theft. The delayed public disclosure (four months post-breach) may indicate challenges in containment, forensic analysis, or regulatory compliance. The attack underscores vulnerabilities in Dole’s cybersecurity defenses, particularly against ransomware, which has become a prevalent threat vector for exploiting organizational gaps in data protection and incident response.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/3b6a821e-4694-4714-9c17-b8a811dcd2e4.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dole-food-company

"id": "dol730082025",
"linkid": "dole-food-company",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "2/2023",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'food production',
                        'location': 'California, USA',
                        'name': 'Dole Food Company',
                        'type': 'private company'}],
 'data_breach': {'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'high',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['personal data',
                                              'employment-related '
                                              'information']},
 'date_detected': '2023-02-01',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-06-20',
 'description': 'The California Attorney General reported a data breach '
                'involving Dole Food Company, identified as a ransomware '
                'attack that occurred in February 2023. The breach potentially '
                'affected employee personal data, including names, addresses, '
                'Social Security numbers, and other employment-related '
                'information. The number of individuals affected is currently '
                'unknown.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': True, 'identity_theft_risk': True},
 'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2023-06-20',
                 'source': 'California Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': True},
 'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': True},
 'title': 'Dole Food Company Ransomware Attack and Data Breach',
 'type': ['ransomware', 'data breach']}