Dell has warned its customers of a significant data breach, which was discovered after a threat actor attempted to sell stolen data on a prominent hacking forum, according to an email acquired by BleepingComputer.

Dell disclosed that the breach targeted one of its portals, from which cyber-criminals obtained “limited types of customer information related to purchases from Dell.” 

The revelation comes following the surfacing of a data broker’s post on the dark web. The broker, identified as Manelik, had advertised a database containing data from millions of Dell customers, according to Daily Dark Web.

While the compromised data did not include financial details or highly sensitive information such as email addresses or phone numbers, it did include a mix of personal and company information like full names, addresses, cities, provinces, postal codes, counties, unique 7-digit service tags of systems, system shipment dates (warranty start), warranty plans, serial numbers (for monitors), Dell customer numbers, and Dell order numbers. 

The threat actor claimed to be the sole possessor of the data, of which, approximately 7 million rows pertain to individual/personal purchases, while 11 million belong to consumer segment companies. The remaining data pertains to enterprise, partner, schools, or unidentified entities

Despite Dell’s assurance that there is no significant risk to customers, security experts caution affected individuals to remain vigilant. With names and physical addresses in the hands of cyber-criminals, there’s a potential for targeted phishing attacks or other malicious activities. 

Furthermore, investing in security solutions and digital identity protection services may offer added layers of defence against cyber-threats. Dell recommends utilising tools like Scamio, an AI-powered scam detector, to verify the legitimacy of suspicious communications.