Samsung

Samsung discloses July security breach that exposed customer personal info

Andrew Romero | Sep 2 2022 - 9:45 am PT

In a recent email sent to customers, Samsung is detailing information about a pretty serious security breach that happened recently. This new hack into Samsung’s database has potentially exposed some valuable customer information, though Samsung is working on the issue.

According to an email sent to customers today, Samsung has stated that a security breach in its system has resulted in the possible exposure of customers’ private information. While not many details are available surrounding the attack itself, the company noted that the attack happened in late July of this year, seemingly right before the wave of Fold 4 and Flip 4 pre-orders.

In late July 2022, an unauthorized third party acquired information from some of Samsung’s U.S. systems. On or around August 4, 2022, we determined through our ongoing investigation that personal information of certain customers was affected.

The information leaked could vary per Samsung customer, as not everyone was affected the same way in this data security breach. For some, that information may include contact details – possibly name, address, and emails – date of birth, and even product registration information. The letter strongly conveys that Social Security and credit/debit card info was not at risk in this attack.

The statement is a bit vague, though understandably as the company is still trying to figure the situation out. “Product registration information” could mean multiple things, including the user’s name, though it could also mean the device’s IMEI. In any case, this is not information that should be lost to malicious actors.

Samsung has noted that a third-party investigator has been hired to dive into this attack, as well as the authorities. Other steps taken include an FAQ page for customers to address concerns.

This attack seems to have only affected US customers, though there are likely a lot of unknowns in the current state of the situation. A company as large with as far a reach as Samsung undergoing a security breach is never a good situation, though it doesn’t seem as serious as it could have been.