Personal data of 49 million Dell customers could be wandering around in the wild

While Dell announces by e-mail to its customers that it has been the victim of an “incident”, a hacker calling himself Menelik is putting up for sale 49 million pieces of data allegedly stolen from the Texan PC manufacturing giant.

Customers who complain about receiving fraudulent calls from people posing as company employees, others who are concerned about receiving an email warning them of an incident involving some of their data personal, we cannot say that the seas are calm for the technological giant Dell.

It’s even a hurricane that seems to blow on the 3^e global PC manufacturer, powered by a hacker with the legendary nickname Menelik, who put a database of… 49 million Dell customer data up for sale on the dark web. Coincidence or cause and effect?

Strong similarities between the announcement of an “incident” by Dell and the sale of data on the dark web by the hacker Manelik

“ There is no indication that these incidents are linked. » This sets the tone for Dell, which refuses to make any comments regarding the disturbing coincidence between the announcement of an incident that occurred on one of the company’s portals, which contains personal data of certain of its customers, and the sale on the dark web of some 49 million customer data, which would come from Dell, according to the hacker Menelik.

However, according to our colleagues from Ars Technica, it is not very difficult to conclude that there is a cause and effect relationship between the two events. Starting with the date. Indeed, Dell customers began to share the email they had received from the company at the beginning of May 2024. For his part, the hacker Menelik posted his message of putting customer data on sale on April 28, 2024.

Then, it is obviously the same volume and the same type of information that Dell and Menelik mention in their respective announcements. At the manufacturer, we speak of “ an incident involving a Dell portal that contains a database with limited types of customer information related to purchases made from Dell “. The hacker, for his part, mentions “ data [qui] relate to customers who purchased a device from Dell from 2017 to 2024 “.

Finally, several Dell customers said they were victims of telephone scams from people pretending to be members of the company’s staff. These disclosed personal information that only customers and Dell could know, and which is available in this database that Menelik claims to have hacked.

What to do if your data ends up on the dark web?

Most of the data stolen and resold on the dark web is used for phishing campaigns, which unfortunately claim many victims. But when it’s too late and your data ends up at the mercy of hackers on the dark web, there’s still time to act.

First of all, you will need to identify the information about you that may have leaked. When this is the case, generally, it is the company or organization from which your data was stolen which will communicate its nature to you. You can also keep up to date with cyberhacking news, of which there are unfortunately many.

Then, carry out an in-depth modification of all your access and passwords, regardless of the site affected. Along the way, opt for two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of protection. Be extremely attentive to the movements of your bank accounts, because it is mainly this information that hackers use to make online purchases for you, or to exchange them for a ransom. Finally, immediately file a complaint with the police or gendarmerie, or send a data breach notification to the CNIL.

Sources: Ars Technica, Next, Daily Dark Web