Hackers Leave Krispy Kreme’s Stock “Glazed and Confused”

Krispy Kreme just got dunked on, and not in the fun, “milk and doughnut” kind of way. Hackers decided to take a bite out of Krispy Kreme’s online operations, leaving them scrambling faster than the local sheriff hitting the gas pedal for the “Hot Now” sign (true story).

On November 29th, cybercriminals breached Krispy Kreme’s IT systems, shutting down their online ordering for over a week. The company hasn’t shared many details (because why would they?), but the impact is loud and clear… digital sales, which make up 15.5% of their revenue, took a huge hit. Oh, and their stock? Down 2% after the breach announcement, and a soul-crushing 31% for the year.

While physical locations are still operational, the online outage is a major blow to their growing digital business. Sure, they’ve got cyber insurance (good luck cashing in on that quickly), but it’s obvious they need to patch up their vulnerabilities before this becomes a recurring nightmare.

Krispy Kreme says they’re in damage-control mode. They’ve called in law enforcement, hired cybersecurity experts, and (let’s be real) their PR team is probably churning out “We value your privacy” emails that no one will actually read. But according to cybersecurity researcher Graham Cluley, this is far from over. The hackers might already have company data and could threaten to leak it. Basically, your next Krispy Kreme binge might come with a side of leaked data.

And if you’re thinking, “Well, at least it’s just Krispy Kreme,” think again. This year alone, more than 3,200 data breaches have exposed the personal info of 353 million people. Retail and hospitality are basically the weak kids on the cyber playground, getting picked on daily. Ransomware attacks have doubled since last holiday season because hackers clearly took "season of giving" as "steal everything."

But don’t worry—Krispy Kreme says this won’t have a “long-term material impact.” (Sure, Jan. And I’ll win Parent of the Year while my kids clean their rooms without being told.) They’re leaning on their McDonald’s partnership and planning to sell a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies. Nothing says “we’re fine” like a fire sale while your systems are still smoldering.

To the hackers: Congrats on proving that nothing (not even dessert) is safe anymore. To Krispy Kreme: Time to invest in some serious cybersecurity before your next headline involves the dark web. And to everyone else? Maybe just use cash for now, because apparently, our loyalty points are more valuable than we thought.

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Stock.News has positions in Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s mentioned in article.