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Western Digital Confirms Customer Data Stolen in Hack

By Charlie Fripp
Western Digital Hard Drive

Everybody can fall victim to a cyberattack, but unfortunately, when it involves a large corporation, there is always a real chance that your data has been compromised. If you have an account with hard drive manufacturer and online storage provider Western Digital, you must change your passwords immediately, as your data may have been stolen in a hack.

Tip: learn how to fix the “External Hard Drive Access Denied” error in Windows.

The Fallout From Earlier Hack

Back in March of this year, Western Digital realized that it was the victim of a cyberattack, with criminals gaining unauthorized access to some of its online systems. However, it wasn’t until a week later that it made the news public. It also put several measures in place to stop data from leaking and launched an investigation.

Western Digital Hard Drive
Image source: Unsplash

It’s now been over a month, and it seems that the consequences of the Western Digital data breach were more severe than initially thought. The company brought its My Cloud service back online on April 13, but account access to Western Digital’s online store won’t be accessible until later this month.

The hackers made off with a treasure trove of information that included customers’ personal data. A statement on its website explains that the criminals “obtained a copy of a Western Digital database used for our online store that contained some personal information of our online store customers.”

This information includes:

  • Customer names
  • Billing and shipping addresses
  • Email addresses
  • Telephone numbers

To make matters worse, it also includes partial credit card numbers and passwords. The latter of which Western Digital says was “in an encrypted format, hashed and salted.” This is an industry technique to make it harder to decipher the information.

Wd Black Hdd
Image source: Unsplash

As with any hack, there is the possibility that the data can make its way to the dark Web, where other hackers have been known to buy and sell leaked credentials. Western Digital is aware of this and is “investigating the validity of this data” and will take action if necessary.

If you have a Western Digital account and haven’t done so already, you must change your username and password immediately to protect yourself against the data hack. Keep an eye on your banking statements for any unauthorized transactions and take appropriate steps to prevent identity fraud.

Tip: is your hard drive running slow? Learn how to defrag your Windows hard drive so that the data is organized better.

Image credit: Unsplash

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Charlie Fripp
Charlie Fripp is a technology writer with a strong focus on consumer gadgets, video games, and cyber security. He holds an undergraduate degree in professional journalism and has worked as a journalist for over 15 years. In his spare time, he enjoys playing various musical instruments and gardening.

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