Acer has issued a statement to a few of its customers informing them that their credit card information may have been compromised. All the users who have used their credit cards to purchase laptops from Acer's website last year may have had their their sensitive information exposed to hackers.
The Taiwanese company claims that the names, address, card numbers, expiration date, and three digit security codes of the buyers between May 12, 2015 and April 28, 2016 may have been compromised. Acer has sent out letters to as many as 34,500 affected customers making them aware of the situation. Most of the affected users are from US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Acer distinctly states that social security numbers, passwords, or login credentials were not affected. In its letter to the affected users, Acer mentions, "Based on our records, we have determined that your information may have been affected, potentially including your name, address, card number, expiration date, and three-digit security codes. We do not collect Social Security numbers, and we have not identified evidence indicating that password or login credentials were affected."
It also sends out a word of caution to its users, and asks them to report any suspect if they have been a victim of identity theft or fraud. "If you suspect that you are a victim of identity theft or fraud, you have the right to file a police report. In addition, you may contact your State Attorney General's office or the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to learn about steps you can take to protect yourself against identity theft."Even though the hack wasn't particularly as large and denting as the Sony hack last year, it puts back focus on the frail Internet security norms in place by companies. Recently, we even saw the Indian Railways website, Gaana.com, and Livestream getting hacked.
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