Having a hard time finding Clorox wipes? Blame it on a cyberattack

Clorox says it's struggling to meet consumer demand for its products as it continues to work through the aftermath of a cyberattack last month.

The Oakland, Calif.-based company says it believes it has "contained" the hack, though shoppers may still see see product shortages on store shelves.

"The Clorox Company is continuing to operate at a lower rate of processing due to the cybersecurity attack on our IT infrastructure," Clorox said in a statement Tuesday. "Given that disruption, we are aware of an elevated level of consumer product availability issues."

Beyond its ubiquitous bleach and disinfecting wipes, Clorox brands also include Pine-Sol, Brita, Glad, Burt's Bees and more.

The company announced on Aug. 14 that it had identified "unusual activity" on its IT systems, later confirming that it had been the victim of a hack.

The attack disrupted Clorox's systems so much that the company had to start processing orders manually, though it now says it expects to transition back to automated order processing next week.

Clorox said it has resumed production at the "vast majority" of its manufacturing facilities and that it's continuing to repair the damaged parts of its IT infrastructure.

The company also told investors that the cyberattack will hurt its earnings for the quarter and that it doesn't yet know how it will impact Clorox's finances in the long run. [Copyright 2023 NPR]