Dive Brief:
- Gas Express, the largest franchisee of Circle K convenience stores in the U.S., reported a data breach earlier this month, according to a report filed with the attorney general of Massachusetts.
- Atlanta-based Gas Express informed the AG on Jan. 13 that some names, social security numbers and driver’s license numbers in its system were compromised. No credit or debit card numbers were impacted, nor were any medical records, according to the report.
- It’s unclear exactly how many people have been impacted by the breach, as well as whether it hit Gas Express’ customers, employees or both.
Dive Insight:
The same day it reported its breach to the Massachusetts Attorney General, Gas Express notified an undisclosed number of individuals in that state that some of their personal information may have been compromised. The company said in the letter it will offer these individuals 24 months of complementary identity monitoring services “out of an abundance of caution” and to help detect possible misuse of their information.
“The security of the information in our possession is a top priority for Gas Express,” the company said in its letter. “We take your trust in us and this matter very seriously, and we deeply regret any worry or inconvenience that this may cause you.”
Representatives from Gas Express did not respond by press time to comment on the breach. The company’s website is under construction.
A spokesperson from Alimentation Couche-Tard, Circle K’s parent company, said in a statement to C-Store Dive that they did not have any information to share on the breach. The spokesperson confirmed that Gas Express operates about 160 Circle K and Kangaroo Express c-stores across Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas.
The AG’s report notes that data from two people who live in Massachusetts was compromised by Gas Express’ breach.
Last year, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip was hit with a network outage that it later said was caused by a cybersecurity breach. Pennsylvania-based Wawa’s data breach from 2019 has cost the c-store retailer tens of millions in negligence claims in the years since.
Clarification: This story was updated to note that Gas Express reported its data breach in January.
