Dell Inc. reports hacking incident, makes recommendations to customers
On November 28, Dell announced that the computer technology giant based in Round Rock, Texas, was hacked. The cybersecurity incident occurred on November 9 when Dell detected and successfully disrupted unauthorized activity on its network attempting to extract Dell.com customer information, which was limited to names, email addresses and hashed passwords.
Though it is possible some of this information was removed from Dell’s network, company investigations found no conclusive evidence that any was extracted.
Dell released word that the company’s cybersecurity measures were in place to limit the impact of any potential exposure. Upon detection of the attempted extraction, the Dell corporation implemented countermeasures and initiated an investigation. Dell also retained a digital forensics firm to conduct an independent investigation and has engaged law enforcement.
“Through that investigation, we found no conclusive evidence that any customer information was taken. Furthermore, there is no indication that any credit card or other sensitive customer information was targeted. We have cybersecurity measures in place that limit the impact of any potential exposure, including the hashing of customers’ passwords. Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively reset Dell.com customers’ passwords to further protect customers and their accounts. No Dell products or services were affected.”
In this age of sophisticated information security threats, Dell spokespersons stated that the company is committed to doing all it can to protect customers’ information. This includes encouraging customers to change passwords for other accounts if they use the same password for their Dell.com account. Dell will continue to invest in its information technology networks and security to detect and prevent the risk of unauthorized activity.
The company is asking all customers to change your Dell password the next time you log on to Dell.com, if prompted to do so. Dell also warns that if you use the same or similar passwords on other online services, that you also set new passwords for those accounts.
Here are some tips for creating a secure password:
- Passwords should contain a minimum of 8 characters, using a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters and at least one number.
- Don’t use any words that can be associated with you such as a family name or address
- Choose a reminder sentence about your life and create a password as the first letter of each word, so “I drink 2 cups of Tea With Honey every day!” becomes “id2coTWHed!” (Customers should not use this same example)
- Keep in mind that it’s never a good idea to use the same password across multiple sites.
(Source: Dell.com)
(Dell Campus cover image credit: By Jjpwiki – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40760286)
~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
