Ethical Hacking News
A data breach at Panera Bread has exposed around 5.1 million unique user accounts following an attack carried out by ShinyHunters via phishing and Microsoft Entra SSO systems. The incident highlights the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in place to protect sensitive user information.
Panera Bread was the victim of a significant data breach incident.The attack, carried out by ShinyHunters, exposed approximately 5.1 million unique user accounts.The breach occurred via phishing campaigns targeting Microsoft Entra SSO systems.ShinyHunters also breached other prominent organizations, including Match Group and SoundCloud.The incident highlights the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in place to protect sensitive user information.
Panera Bread, a popular U.S.-based bakery-café chain founded in 1987, recently found itself at the center of a significant data breach incident. According to recent reports, the company experienced a cybersecurity attack that exposed the sensitive information of approximately 5.1 million unique users. However, this figure appears to be less than the initial claim made by ShinyHunters, an international cybercrime group, which stated that they had stolen personally identifiable information (PII) and contact details for over 14 million Panera Bread user accounts.
The incident began in late January 2026 when ShinyHunters launched a phishing campaign targeting organizations that use single sign-on (SSO) systems. The attackers managed to gain unauthorized access to Microsoft Entra, a popular SSO solution used by numerous companies, including Okta and Google. This breach allowed them to obtain login credentials for over 100 high-profile organizations, including Panera Bread.
In an attempt to extort money from the victims, ShinyHunters released the stolen data publicly on their dark web leak site. The leaked archive contains personal information such as names, phone numbers, and physical addresses of approximately 5.1 million users. These records were obtained by ShinyHunters through a combination of phishing attacks and exploiting vulnerabilities in the SSO systems.
Have I Been Pwned, a data breach notification service, reported that the breach affected more than 14 million records initially but later corrected its count to indicate that only around 5.1 million unique user accounts were impacted. The discrepancy between these figures is attributed to the fact that some users may have used multiple accounts.
As part of this malicious campaign, ShinyHunters also breached other prominent organizations such as Match Group, a leading online dating service provider, which owns popular services like Tinder and OkCupid. However, Match Group managed to contain the breach by limiting the amount of data stolen, which is reportedly around 10 million user records.
Audio streaming platform SoundCloud was another victim of ShinyHunters' phishing campaign in December 2025, when it encountered widespread errors while users connected via VPNs. The attack led to a significant data breach affecting 29.8 million user accounts as reported by Have I Been Pwned.
In June 2024, Panera Bread had previously notified its employees of a data breach after threat actors stole their personal information during a March 2024 ransomware attack that triggered a nationwide IT outage. The company is still working to address the issues stemming from this earlier incident.
The ShinyHunters group claims that they gained access to Panera's systems via Microsoft Entra SSO code, part of their broader campaign targeting various organizations' login credentials. Their actions demonstrate the evolving nature of phishing attacks and the ongoing struggle for cybersecurity in today's digital landscape.
According to recent reports, the breach at Panera Bread was not the only one that ShinyHunters conducted during this time. The cybercrime group also targeted Match Group, breaching data from Hinge, Tinder, OkCupid, and Match.
This incident highlights the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in place to protect sensitive user information. As phishing attacks continue to escalate, companies must prioritize their employees' training on these tactics and ensure that all employees adhere to best practices when it comes to online security.
ShinyHunters' attack is an example of how sophisticated cybercrime groups can exploit vulnerabilities in SSO systems to gain access to a large amount of user data. This emphasizes the need for companies and organizations to stay vigilant and implement robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard their users' information.
In conclusion, Panera Bread's recent data breach incident offers valuable insights into the threat landscape faced by many organizations worldwide. As phishing attacks continue to pose significant risks, it is essential for businesses to invest in employee training programs and bolster their defenses against such cyber threats.
Summary:
In a shocking turn of events, ShinyHunters, an international cybercrime group, has been linked to the data breach at Panera Bread, exposing around 5.1 million unique user accounts. The attack was carried out via phishing and targeted Microsoft Entra SSO systems. The breach is just one example in a series of recent incidents targeting prominent organizations, showcasing the ever-evolving threat landscape for businesses worldwide.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Panera-Breads-Data-Breach-The-ShinyHunters-SSO-Scam-Exposed-ehn.shtml
Published: Mon Feb 2 07:55:54 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
