Simonson's lumber gets hacked

SAINT CLOUD, Minn. -- Customers of Simonson Lumber have been warned that on or about April 9, 2022, the company was hacked. Files were stolen in an attempt to extort the company.

The company said that there was unauthorized access into the Company's IT environment which triggered its security protocols.

Although Simonson's investigation efforts remain ongoing, it is possible that the information pertaining to some of the company's employees and consumers may have been affected.

The data that was subject to unauthorized access was different in individual cases, but may have contained names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, health information, credit card or financial account numbers. At present, Simonson has no evidence that any personal information belonging to any individual has been misused.

The company said that immediate actions were taken to secure the company's systems and ensure that any further suspicious activity was prevented. This included resetting passwords on all accounts system-wide as well as activation of enhanced monitoring of IT systems.

The company hired a qualified third-party IT forensic expert to conduct an exhaustive investigation of this matter. The company said that the problem has been remediated and IT systems are operating securely.

Simonson said it is working to implement additional safeguards and security measures to enhance the privacy and security of information in company systems. In addition, the company is working with law enforcement and sharing information for their investigation.

Simonson is also posting a notice of this incident on its website and informing state regulators as required.  Simonson also provided two years of complimentary identity theft protection to affected individuals. Anyone with questions about this incident is encouraged to visit the Simonson website for more information.

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Larry Adams | Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).