PC vendor Acer Inc (宏碁) yesterday confirmed that it was hacked twice in one week — once in Taiwan and once in India — but denied any damage or leak of customer data.
Acer spokesperson Steven Chung (鐘興維) said that the customers in India whose data were affected were informed, while no user data in Taiwan was compromised.
The hackers have tried to initiate communication, but Acer has not responded, Chung said.
Photo: Cho Yi-chun, Taipei Times
“We are not going to negotiate and it is not company policy to pay ransom to hackers,” he said.
Upon detecting the hack, Acer initiated all security protocols and conducted a full scan of its systems, he added.
A group of hackers calling themselves the Desorden Group has claimed responsibility for the two attacks, said tech news Web site zdnet.com, which was contacted by the group.
The hackers told zdnet.com that the attack was not done to obtain a ransom, but to “prove their point” that Acer does not practice the latest computer security, leaving its data and servers vulnerable to attacks.
Last month, the Desorden Group told the Web site Databreaches.net that their name stands for “chaos and disorder.”
“Desorden attacks along supply chains to create a higher level of disorder and chaos affecting many parties, rather than the victim itself. If the victim fails to pay, Desorden sells the data on the black market within a few days,” the group said, adding that they had hacked Malaysian logistics company ABX Express.
Chung did not confirm the identity of the group, saying only that “they have sent their message to the media.”
Chung also declined to give details about the number of customers affected by the Indian hack, saying that investigations into the two attacks are ongoing.
Acer said in a public statement that the incidents did not cause service disruptions and that the financial impact was limited.
Acer was hacked in March by the group REvil, who asked for a ransom of US$50 million.
Acer countered with an offer of US$10 million, which was rejected by the hackers, zdnet.com reported.
Chung declined to comment on the March incident, but reiterated that Acer would neither negotiate with hackers nor pay ransoms.
A previous statement from Acer said only that it had reported the incident to law enforcement in several countries.
Acer is not the only Taiwanese company to have experienced ransomware attacks. Contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), industrial computer manufacturer Advantech Co (研華) and Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶) were all reportedly hacked last year.
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