CINCINNATI — Kroger Co. has warned customers of a security breach that allowed hackers to gain access to its email database. Kroger said the data breach — which occurred at Epsilon, the online marketing firm Kroger employed — was limited to names and email addresses only.
“Only names and email addresses were taken, and all other customer information is secure,” the retailer said in a message to consumers posted on its website. “You may receive some unsolicited emails (spam) as a result of this incident. Kroger wants to remind you not to open emails from senders you do not know.”
Epsilon, based in Irving, Texas, said it was investigating the data breach, which affected numerous companies including Best Buy and Walgreen. It provides marketing services for 2,500 companies. Some reports estimated that “millions” of email addresses may have been swiped.
