An ingenious hacker managed to infiltrate into the Advance Auto Parts website and gain access to information belonging to approximately 56,000 consumers, the affected company explained in a security notice published on its main page. No less than 14 stores in the US were affected by the attack so people who have recently bought products from them may be in danger. The company has already started sending letters to the affected consumers, a toll-free number being available to all those who want more information about the intrusion: 1-800-704-1154. Obviously, the case has already been reported to the police so the on-going investigation may reveal some new details anytime soon.

"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this attack on our network may cause. Advance Auto Parts has been dedicated for the past 75 years to earning customer trust and for providing Legendary Customer Service. We strive to serve each and every customer better than anyone else," said Darren Jackson, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We truly appreciate the business of each Advance Auto Parts customer."

We've seen similar attacks in the past, so security companies around the world - the ones which fight for better security measures and obviously struggle to block such attempts - underline the need for more powerful technologies to protect the data. Sophos is one of the security companies that commented the case: "Advance Auto Parts joins a growing list of companies who have suffered from an embarrassing data breach, and this news may rattle the confidence of customers," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "All firms would be wise to look long and hard at their own security to make sure that they are doing everything possible to reduce the chances that they will be the next to fall victim."