Major Grocery Supply Chain Disrupted: United Natural Foods Cyberattack Impacts Thousands of Stores

On June 5, 2025, United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), North America’s largest publicly traded wholesale distributor, discovered unauthorized activity on its information technology systems. The company immediately activated its incident response plan and proactively took critical systems offline to contain the breach. This cyberattack has created ripple effects throughout the grocery supply chain, disrupting operations at over 30,000 retail locations across the United States and Canada.

UNFI serves as the primary distributor for Amazon’s Whole Foods Market and supplies major retailers including Walmart, Target, and regional chains like Cub Foods, Kowalski’s, and Lunds & Byerlys. With 53 distribution centers and $31 billion in annual revenue, the company operates as a critical infrastructure component of America’s food distribution network. The attack has temporarily disrupted the company’s ability to fulfill and distribute customer orders, leading to empty shelves at affected stores and closed pharmacy operations at some locations.

 Severity of the Issue

This cyberattack represents a high-severity incident that demonstrates the vulnerability of critical supply chain infrastructure. The attack’s impact extends far beyond UNFI’s corporate systems, affecting thousands of grocery stores, pharmacies, and ultimately millions of consumers who rely on these essential services. The timing is particularly concerning as it occurs during regular shopping patterns when consistent food distribution is critical for public health and safety.

The disruption has forced UNFI to implement workarounds for certain operations while working to restore full system functionality. The company’s external-facing systems, including web platforms used by suppliers and customers, remain offline along with VPN services. Anecdotal reports from affected stores indicate significant supply shortages and some pharmacy closures, highlighting the cascading effects of supply chain cyberattacks.

(United Natural Foods Stock 06/10/2025 – Source: Yahoo! Finance)

 How the Attack is Being Exploited

While UNFI has not disclosed specific details about the attack methodology, cybersecurity experts analyzing the disruption patterns suggest this incident bears the hallmarks of a ransomware attack. The systematic shutdown of multiple operational systems, the extensive nature of the disruption, and the ongoing restoration timeline all align with typical ransomware deployment patterns.

The attackers likely gained initial access through common vectors such as phishing emails, compromised credentials, or exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems. Once inside the network, they would have conducted reconnaissance to identify critical systems and data repositories before deploying encryption payloads across UNFI’s infrastructure. The comprehensive nature of the system disruptions suggests the attackers achieved significant network penetration before activating their malicious payload.

 Who is Behind the Issue

As of this publication, no ransomware group has publicly claimed responsibility for the UNFI attack. However, the incident occurs amid a broader trend of cybercriminals targeting critical infrastructure and supply chain operations. Recent months have seen increased activity from various ransomware groups focusing on retail and distribution companies, recognizing the significant leverage these attacks provide due to their impact on daily operations and public services.

The attack aligns with patterns observed from groups like Cl0p, which has been identified as particularly active in 2025, and other financially motivated cybercriminal organizations that target high-revenue companies with critical operational dependencies. These groups typically demand substantial ransom payments in exchange for decryption keys and promises not to release stolen data.

 Who is at Risk

The primary victims of this attack extend well beyond UNFI itself. Over 30,000 retail locations depend on UNFI for regular product deliveries, including:

• Whole Foods Market stores nationwide
• Major retail chains like Walmart and Target
• Regional grocery chains including Cub Foods, Kowalski’s, and Lunds & Byerlys
• Independent retailers and specialty food stores
• Pharmacy operations within affected stores

Consumers face immediate impacts including product shortages, inability to fill prescriptions, and potential food security concerns. Healthcare patients requiring regular prescription medications are particularly vulnerable during this disruption. The attack also affects UNFI’s 28,000 employees and over 11,000 suppliers who depend on the company’s systems for order processing and logistics coordination.

The broader food distribution industry faces increased risk as cybercriminals recognize the effectiveness of targeting supply chain infrastructure. Similar companies in the wholesale distribution sector should expect heightened targeting as attackers seek to replicate this type of high-impact disruption.

 Remediation and Response

UNFI has implemented several immediate response measures following industry best practices for cyber incident management. The company activated its incident response plan within hours of discovering the unauthorized activity and engaged leading forensics experts to investigate the breach scope and methodology. Law enforcement agencies have been notified and are assisting with the investigation.

Critical remediation steps include conducting comprehensive forensic analysis to identify the attack vector and ensure complete removal of malicious actors from the network. UNFI is implementing workarounds to maintain limited operations while rebuilding affected systems from clean backups. The company is working closely with customers and suppliers to minimize disruption through alternative fulfillment methods where possible.

Long-term remediation will likely involve significant infrastructure hardening, including network segmentation improvements, enhanced endpoint detection and response capabilities, and strengthened access controls. The company will need to conduct thorough security assessments of all restored systems before bringing them fully online to prevent reinfection.

 How CinchOps Can Help

As this incident demonstrates, supply chain disruptions can affect businesses of all sizes, from major retailers to small independent stores. CinchOps understands the critical importance of maintaining operational continuity and protecting your business from similar cyber threats.

Our comprehensive cybersecurity services provide multiple layers of protection specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses:

• 24/7 network monitoring and threat detection to identify suspicious activity before it becomes a crisis
• Advanced endpoint protection and response capabilities to prevent ransomware deployment
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability management to address potential entry points
• Employee training programs to reduce human error risks that often lead to successful attacks
• Robust backup and disaster recovery solutions to maintain operations during cyber incidents
• Incident response planning and support to minimize downtime and business impact
• Supply chain risk assessment to identify and mitigate dependencies on vulnerable vendors

The UNFI attack serves as a stark reminder that cybersecurity is not just about protecting individual companies—it’s about maintaining the integrity of entire business ecosystems. With over three decades of experience in complex IT environments, CinchOps provides the expertise and proactive security measures needed to keep your business operational when others face disruption.

Don’t wait for a cyber incident to threaten your business continuity. Contact CinchOps today to discuss how our managed cybersecurity services can protect your operations and ensure you’re prepared for the evolving threat environment.

 Discover More 

Discover more about our enterprise-grade and business protecting cybersecurity services: CinchOps Cybersecurity
Discover related topics: The Alarming Reality: Check Point Software Cyber Attack Report Q1 2025
For Additional Information on this topic:  Whole Foods’ primary distributor forced to shut down its systems after a major cyberattack

FREE CYBERSECURITY ASSESSMENT