Vans, North Face blame cyberattack for issues fulfilling orders

The company that owns numerous clothing brands, including Vans and North Face, said a cyberattack last week caused issues for fulfilling online orders.

VF Corp. announced Monday that it had “detected unauthorized occurrences” across its information technology platforms on Dec. 13, prompting the company to launch an investigation into the incident and shut down some systems, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.

“The threat actor disrupted the Company’s business operations by encrypting some IT systems, and stole data from the Company, including personal data,” the SEC filing stated. 

“The Company is working to bring the impacted portions of its IT systems back online and implement workarounds for certain offline operations with the aim of reducing disruption to its ability to serve its retail and brand e-commerce consumers and wholesale customers,” the filing continued.

As a result of the incident, VF Corp. said it was experiencing “certain operational disruptions,” adding that the company’s “ability to fulfill orders is currently impacted.” It noted that since the investigation into the incident is ongoing, “the full scope, nature and impact of the incident are not yet known.”

“As of the date of this filing, the incident has had and is reasonably likely to continue to have a material impact on the Company’s business operations until recovery efforts are completed,” the filing read. “The Company has not yet determined whether the incident is reasonably likely to materially impact the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.”

The company, which also owns Jansport, Timberland and Supreme, said that its physical stores are not impacted and that customers can purchase available merchandise there. Customers can also place orders online, but the company is experiencing issues with the fulfillment of orders.