Petco admits software glitch exposed customer data

Petco — the large U.S. pet‑products retailer — disclosed on December 5, 2025 that a misconfiguration in one of its software applications accidentally exposed certain customer files online. According to a filing with the California Attorney General's Office, Petco discovered the issue internally and “immediately took steps” to remove the files from public access. Crucially, the company has not clarified what kind of personal information was exposed, nor how many customers were affected. However — since state data‑breach laws require reporting when 500 or more residents are impacted — it’s believed at least 500 California customers were notified. Petco also reportedly informed some customers in Massachusetts and three individuals in Montana. In response to the incident, Petco said it has implemented additional security controls and is offering free credit and identity‑theft monitoring to affected individuals. #dataBreach #Petco #Cybersecurity #CustomerPrivacy #SlimScan #GrowthStocks #CANSLIM