News March 12, 2025
Crystal D Reports Progress On Overcoming Cyberattack Fallout
The Minnesota-headquartered supplier of crystal awards and gifts said that, as of March 12, it has the ability to communicate with customers and process orders again.
Key Takeaways
• Progress: Crystal D (asi/47759) is partially operational again after a March 7 cyberattack.
• Communications Resuming: As of March 12, the company said that it’s actively communicating with customers and processing orders again.
• Clients Compromised? No evidence suggests hackers accessed sensitive client information, according to Crystal D.
Crystal D (asi/47759) says that it’s making progress in its fight to become fully operational again following a March 7 cyberattack that temporarily crippled the supplier’s business.
The St. Paul, MN-headquartered provider of crystal awards and gifts said that, as of March 12, it once again can communicate with customers and process orders. Still, the firm is working through lingering issues related to the attack, executives said.
“We are still in the thick of it,” said Bridget Dahlgren, Crystal D’s executive vice president of marketing and sales. “This sure has been interesting, to say the least.”
Dahlgren explained that the cyberbreach compelled Crystal D to temporarily shut down parts of its network. The firm became unable to access phones and email accounts, and communication with customers was down. At least some orders that were set to ship were delayed and require rescheduling. Things were improving though, Dahlgren said.
“We are pleased to share that we are partially operational again and are actively reaching out to customers with in-house orders that have scheduled ship dates,” she said in a statement. “For all other requests, we will address them within 48 hours. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this situation.”
PSA: Crystal D has suffered a cyberattack. Full details: https://t.co/qGmEDzcK28
— Chris Ruvo (@ChrisR_ASI) March 7, 2025
Crystal D is continuing to investigate to ensure the security of its network. So far, Dahlgren said, there’s no evidence to suggest that the hackers were able to access sensitive customer information.
“Rest assured,” Dahlgren said, “we are working as quickly and efficiently as possible to resolve the incident and will keep customers updated on the status of orders.”
Crystal D invited customers to contact the company with questions at CrystaldFan@gmail.com.
Cybersecurity in the promotional products industry has become a major issue, with cyberattacks being at the forefront of industry executives’ concerns.
At the 2024 ASI Power Summit, industry leaders acknowledged in a panel discussion that cyber assaults have become a substantial business risk, and that large portions of their information technology budgets go toward protecting their companies against such incursions by digital criminals. Cybersecurity insurance rates have reportedly soared.
Promo firms of all sizes have suffered attacks. In recent years, for instance, Counselor Top 40 supplier Bag Makers (asi/37940) sustained a devastating assault, while Counselor Top 40 distributor Staples Promotional Products (asi/120601) endured an apparent hacking.
A 2019 hacking at Counselor Top 40 firm alphabroder (asi/34063) led to a ransom payment. Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) contended with what was described as a cybersecurity incident in March of 2023.
Meanwhile, MV Sport/The Game (asi/68318) suffered an attack in September/October 2022. Aakron Line (asi/30270) dealt with a malware issue. HanesBrands (asi/59528) was compromised. Essent Corporation, a promo-focused business management platform, fell prey to an encryption attack in late 2022. Hackers infiltrated a Cisco merch store in September.