Cyberattack induces Clorox product shortages.

Cleaning product manufacturer Clorox disclosed in an SEC filing that the cyberattack it sustained on August 14th has led to ongoing consumer product availability issues. 

An attack on IT had operational consequences.

Clorox stated, “The cybersecurity attack damaged portions of the Company’s IT infrastructure, which caused widescale disruption of Clorox’s operations. The Company is repairing the infrastructure and is reintegrating the systems that were proactively taken offline. The Company expects to begin the process of transitioning back to normal automated order processing the week of Sept. 25. Clorox has already resumed production at the vast majority of its manufacturing sites and expects the ramp up to full production to occur over time. At this time, the Company cannot estimate how long it will take to resume fully normalized operations.”

Clorox sees the attack as “material.”

The company added, “Clorox is still evaluating the extent of the financial and business impact. Due to the order processing delays and elevated level of product outages, the Company now believes the impact will be material on Q1 financial results.”

A business downturn with (physical) supply chain implications.

 Darren Williams, CEO and Founder at BlackFog, commented:

"Last month's cyberattack on Clorox continues to impact the company’s supply and production rate. As a major manufacturer of consumer and professional cleaning products with pre-existing global supply chain issues, the shortages continue to have a wide-scale impact. This outcome is consistent with our research, which shows that business downturn is a primary consequence of such cyberattacks and often leads to customer frustration, financial losses and loss of trust in the business. 

“To avoid the resulting financial loss and customer dissatisfaction, businesses should implement newer preventative technologies such as anti data exfiltration. These third-generation solutions stop attacks in their tracks and ensure that companies can secure their digital assets and maintain business continuity.”