Acer customers, be warned, you may have been affected by Acer's recent security breach, affecting 34,500 accounts registered to the company.
The company revealed to California's attorney general that its server was the victim of a recent cyber attack that gained access to confidential customer details from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, "potentially including" customers' names, addresses, card numbers, expiration dates and three-digit security codes.
While Acer adds that there was insufficient evidence to indicate stolen passwords and login credentials, as well as Social Security numbers since these are not collected by the company, the stolen information, meanwhile, allows hackers to easily commit fraudulent credit card transactions.
In another report, Acer admits that it was an internal security flaw on its servers, as the Taiwanese company "inadvertently stored [information] in an unsecured format." This resulted in an "unspecified" security issue that would let hackers access consumer data who made a purchase on Acer's online store from May 12, 2015 to April 28, 2016, roughly estimated to almost a year.
"We took immediate steps to remediate this security issue upon identifying it, and we are being assisted by outside cybersecurity experts," Acer assures its customers, adding that the company "will be working hard to enhance [its] security" and has offered "full cooperation to federal law enforcement" to prevent further damages.
The company strongly recommends its customers who suspect that they've been affected by the cyberattack to remain "vigilant" and fully review their account statements and credit card reports. Acer urges consumers to file an incidental police report as soon as they are made aware of identity theft.
A letter will be sent to victims whose accounts may have been compromised, outlining several steps for Acer customers to ensure that their credentials are fully intact and accessed with their full consent:
• Contacting the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will inform users about preventive ways to avoid identity theft.
• Under U.S. law, citizens are entitled to an annual credit card report from three nationwide consumer reporting agencies.
• If a consumer suspects an unauthorized access to their accounts, they may place a Fraud Alert on their credit cards, which adds an extra layer of security measures that have to be met before users can obtain credit.
• In extreme cases, credit card holders may apply for a Security Freeze "which prevents credit, loans and services from being approved in your name without your consent." Such an extraordinary measure, however, will interfere in or delay future transactions made through the affected credit card.
Photo: Michael Walsh | Flickr
