Dell data breach may affect up to 49 million customers

A data breach at the tech giant revealed the names and addresses of customers dating back from 2017

Dell has confirmed a data breach that could, according to reports, have affected up to 49m customers.

The breach revealed names and addresses of Dell customers, as well as information about equipment purchased, although the tech giant says that no payment or banking details were uncovered in the incident.

The entity who claimed to have stolen the details has now put the records up for sale on the Dark Web, claiming 49m as a number.

The details hacked are reported to have covered Dell customer activity from 2017 onwards.

In a statement, Dell said that it did not believe there was a “significant” risk to customers from the breach.

However, IT security experts are advising anyone using Dell equipment to be wary of inbound communications attempting to establish further information such as financial details.

Dell employs around 5,000 people in Ireland and is one of the biggest suppliers of computer equipment in the country.

”Dell Technologies has a cybersecurity program designed to limit risk to our environments, including those used by our customers and partners,” said Dell in a statement.

“Our program includes prompt assessment and response to identified threats and risks. We recently identified an incident involving a Dell portal with access to a database containing limited types of customer information including name, physical address, and certain Dell hardware and order information.

“It did not include financial or payment information, email address, telephone number or any highly sensitive customer data.

“Upon discovering this incident, we promptly implemented our incident response procedures, applied containment measures, began investigating, and notified law enforcement. Our investigation is supported by external forensic specialists.

“We continue to monitor the situation and take steps to protect our customers’ information. Although we don’t believe there is significant risk to our customers given the type of information involved, we are taking proactive steps to notify them as appropriate.”

Reporting on:independent.ie