Dell revealed that it reset all customer account passwords on its Dell.com online electronics store after it had discovered that hackers were trying to steal its customers' data.
No Evidence That Customer Data Was Extracted
The computer giant said on Wednesday that it reset all customer passwords on Nov. 14 after it had detected and disrupted an attempted hack of its network on Nov. 9.
The company said that hackers attempt to extract customer names, e-mail addresses, and hashed passwords from its network, albeit it did not find evidence that these data were extracted.
Dell said that the breach did not target customers' credit card and other sensitive information and that the incident did not cause disruption to its services.
CyberSecurity Measures In Place
The company said that it has cybersecurity measures in place to limit the impact of potential exposure. It said that these measures include hashing customers' passwords and a mandatory password reset.
"Upon detection of the attempted extraction, Dell immediately implemented countermeasures and initiated an investigation," the company said in a statement. "Dell also retained a digital forensics firm to conduct an independent investigation and has engaged law enforcement.
The company said that it is committed to doing all it can to protect its customers' information in this age when security threats have become sophisticated. It said that it will continue to invest in information technology networks and security so it can detect and prevent risks of unauthorized activities.
It urged customers to change passwords for all their other accounts that use the same password for their Dell.com account.
Number Of Accounts Affected
Dell did not reveal how many accounts were affected by the breach.
"Since this is a voluntary disclosure, and there is no conclusive evidence that customer account information was extracted, it would be imprudent to publish potential numbers when there may be none," a Dell spokesman said.
Dell may have downplayed the impact of the incident but many breached companies amend initial revelations as investigations progress.
