European retail behemoth **Lidl**, owned by the **Schwarz Group**, has confirmed a data breach affecting its online shop customers in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The incident, which **Lidl** states was discovered last week, involved unauthorized access to a separately stored file containing customer data held by a service provider. ### Breach Details Emerge **Lidl** notified affected customers via email and published advisories on its support websites for [Belgium](https://customerservice.lidl.be/html_mail.jsp?params=8tKyobllxvsU6%2BgXDYjBJc6MQ853XtdVS6zBsH7vxJZSVH%2FBzLZpSM%2Fxo%2BNkxRbDFx7Qk%2FX0EmHNQMTiaWr%2FGCKi%2FhYKokW6%2FkoUR8Rjn4I%3D) and [the Netherlands](https://service.lidl.nl/html_mail.jsp?params=8LybHsuKa7Kn1nJNHJQVXNX0gmCmtqL%2BDv1%2FqBuU15CDljiqHnnM21YJF1q%2FnFUEywx3Rzgho98wZxcM9Vu14In%2BUF9apXtZuAjldylkmGg%3D). The company emphasized that its online shop's core system was not directly compromised. "Despite high IT security standards, unknown individuals briefly gained access to a separately stored file containing customer data, and part of the data was stolen from it. The online shop's system itself was not affected," **Lidl** stated. ### Compromised Data and Potential Risks The stolen information includes customer details such as salutation, first and last name, telephone number, email address, date of birth, and customer number. Crucially, **Lidl** cannot yet definitively rule out the possibility that the breach also encompassed more sensitive data, including customer passwords, billing and delivery addresses, bank details, or other payment information. ### Response and Recommendations In response to the incident, the compromised IT service provider has filed a police report and engaged IT forensic experts to conduct a thorough investigation into the scope and impact of the breach. **Lidl** has also informed the **Dutch Data Protection Authority**. Customers are urged to exercise extreme caution regarding potential phishing attempts and identity fraud. "Although we currently have no concrete evidence of data misuse, we are warning you as a precaution against possible phishing attempts or identity fraud," **Lidl** advised. "Be alert for unexpected messages. Always verify the authenticity of the sender. If you notice anything unusual, do not provide any data and do not click on unknown links." **Lidl** did not immediately provide further comment when contacted for additional information.