Auchan cyberattack: another personal data breach in less than a year

A new Auchan cyberattack has just hit the French retail chain. On 21 August 2025, the group confirmed it had been the victim of a cyber incident affecting the personal data of several hundred thousand customers holding Waaoh loyalty cards. This cyberattack comes less than a year after a similar incident, raising questions about the robustness of the security measures in place.

An Auchan cyberattack targeting loyalty programmes

This new Auchan cyberattack gave hackers access to sensitive information about loyalty accounts. The compromised data includes the surnames, first names, email and postal addresses, phone numbers and loyalty card numbers of the affected customers.

Fortunately, the retailer states that bank details, passwords and loyalty card PIN codes are not affected by this Auchan cyberattack. Loyalty balances also remain protected, limiting the direct financial impact on customers.

A worrying repeat for the northern French retailer

Unfortunately, this cyberattack is not an isolated case. In November 2024, the retailer had already suffered a similar data breach affecting around 500,000 customers. This recurrence raises legitimate questions about the effectiveness of the group’s cybersecurity measures. Other companies are not spared either, as shown by the Allianz Life data breach and the PayPal one.

In his analysis, cybersecurity expert Damien Bancal points out that the alert letter sent to customers repeats the November 2024 one word for word, revealing a standardised communication approach that could raise concerns about how prepared the company is for this type of incident.

Measures taken after the Auchan cyberattack

In response to this cyberattack, the retailer reacted quickly by deactivating the affected customers’ loyalty cards. To regain access to their balance, customers must now go to a store to be issued a new Waaoh card.

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Auchan notified the CNIL (the French data protection authority) and specialised cybersecurity services. The incident has been contained and stronger security measures have been put in place.

Heightened phishing risks

This Auchan cyberattack paves the way for particularly sophisticated phishing campaigns. With access to customers’ names, addresses and contact details, cybercriminals can craft extremely convincing fraudulent messages posing as the retailer or its partners.

Compromised personal data is ideal raw material for targeted scams, especially since loyalty programmes are often seen as peripheral systems when in fact they concentrate highly exploitable information.

Protection tips after the Auchan cyberattack

To protect yourself after this cyberattack, stay alert to suspicious communications. Never reply to an email, text or call asking for your credentials, passwords or PIN codes. Auchan will never ask for this information through these channels.

Check your loyalty card activity regularly and report any suspicious transaction immediately. Finally, strengthen the security of your online accounts with unique, complex passwords, ideally managed by a password manager.

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