Advance Auto Parts, one of North America's largest automotive parts retailers, suffered a data breach in 2024 after attackers gained unauthorized access to the company's Snowflake cloud environment. Snowflake is a cloud-based data storage and analytics platform. The breach was part of a broader wave of attacks targeting organizations using Snowflake accounts, which also affected companies including Ticketmaster and Santander. A dataset from the breach was subsequently posted for sale on a popular hacking forum. While Advance Auto Parts disclosed to Maine regulators that 2,316,591 people were directly affected, the broader dataset contained 79 million unique email addresses spanning both customers and employees. The exposed data included names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses. Employee records contained additional attributes beyond what was exposed for customers. This combination of contact details creates clear pathways for phishing attacks, impersonation, and fraud. Because Advance Auto Parts serves both professional automotive installers and everyday vehicle owners, attackers can use the data to craft convincing scams tied to vehicle ownership, parts purchases, or maintenance needs. Advance Auto Parts notified affected individuals and made disclosures to state regulators, including Maine. No widely reported regulatory enforcement action or litigation settlement had concluded as of mid-2025. People affected by this breach should be alert to unsolicited emails, calls, or messages referencing their vehicle or auto parts purchases, as attackers can use the exposed data to make fraudulent contact appear credible. Updating passwords on any accounts linked to the exposed email addresses is also advisable.

Automotive retail platforms collect customer emails, names, phone numbers, order details, and in some cases account credentials or linked vehicle-interest data across commerce and loyalty systems.

Advance Auto Parts’ recent public posture has centered on a multi-year turnaround focused on strategic execution, loyalty, and margin improvement. In February 2026, the company reported fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results, issued 2026 guidance highlighting continued progress on its strategic plan, and in the same period launched a new Advance Rewards loyalty program.