Samsung has disclosed a cybersecurity incident today that took place in July this year. The breach resulted in data of some of its customers in the United States being leaked. The breach was discovered by Samsung on August 4. Samsung has now started sending out emails to those affected by this cybersecurity incident.
The company highlights that the data leaked may vary for each user. It does point out that this breach didn't result in the leak of credit or debit card numbers. Social Security numbers weren't compromised either.
No need to change your passwords immediately
Samsung mentions in its announcement today that the data that leaked as a result of the breach may include name, contact, date of birth, production registration, and demographic information. The company also states that it has taken actions to secure the breached systems.
A full investigation is currently underway to ascertain the cause of this breach. Samsung has engaged a “leading outside cybersecurity firm” to assist with the investigation. It's also cooperating with law enforcement on the matter.
Customers who have been impacted by this data breach are now being informed via email by the company. If you receive one of those emails, make sure to follow any instructions provided therein to secure your data. Lastly, the company regrets “any concern or inconvenience” caused by this incident to its customers.
While it may be comforting to see that payment or Social Security information wasn't leaked, that doesn't make this breach any less dangerous. The information that did leak online can be used by hackers to launch social engineering attacks.
Samsung isn't recommending that users change their passwords immediately, but it does say that you should keep an eye out for any unusual activity on your account. It has set up a FAQ page to provide more guidance to customers who may have been concerned by this incident.
