Ralph Lauren Investigates Potential Supply Chain Cyberattack Linked to Extortion Group Ralph Lauren is reportedly investigating a suspected cyberattack that may have compromised its supply chain through a third-party vendor. The incident, which did not directly target the company’s own systems, highlights a growing trend of threat actors exploiting weaker security in partner networks to gain access to larger organizations. No details have been released about the scope of the breach, including what data may have been exposed or whether the impact extends beyond U.S. users. Ralph Lauren has not publicly confirmed the unauthorized access. The attack has been claimed by CoinbaseCartel, a cybercriminal group operating on the dark web. The same group also asserts responsibility for breaches at other U.S. companies, including children’s retailer Carter’s and jewelry chain Helzberg Diamonds. Emerging in September 2024, CoinbaseCartel has rapidly become one of the most active extortion gangs, with over 130 claimed victims across sectors such as healthcare, technology, telecommunications, finance, and transportation. Its targets have included major corporations like SK Telecom (South Korea), Plug Power (U.S.), NTT Data (Japan), and CEVA Logistics (Switzerland). While the group’s origins remain unclear, some cybersecurity analysts suggest potential ties to established threat actors like ShinyHunters, Scattered Spider, or LAPSUS$, possibly operating as affiliates. Despite its name, CoinbaseCartel has no connection to the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. The full extent of the Ralph Lauren incident and its broader implications remains under investigation.

Children’s Apparel Giant Carter compromised the personal data of more than 410,000 customers in a cyber incident in March 2021. The information was compromised by shortened URLs sent by partner vendor Linc, which helps the firm to automate online purchases. The compromised information includes the full names, physical addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, shipment tracking IDs, and transaction details of customers dating as far back as 2015.