On March 26th, Western Digital identified a serious network security breach that impacted both customer and company data. Western Digital was quick to notify the users affected to help reduce the impact of the attack, allowing them to take precautionary measures as soon as possible to protect their private information. In addition, the company promptly shut down online services to prevent further spread of data loss, and this included shutting down its online web store.
On May 5, Western Digital published a press release updating details on the matter. In the official announcement, Western Digital confirmed the extent of the cyber attack that was later corroborated by CEO David Goeckeler. Western Digital confirmed in an earnings call that took place on May 8 that plans are still in place to reopen the store the week of May 15. This means the online web store will have been down for almost six weeks since the March cyber attack.
An SEC filing also took place on May 5 that further confirmed the depth of the cyber attack. In addition to stealing customer details like names, addresses, and even encrypted credit card numbers that were on file, a selection of private company data was also compromised. More specifically, certain digital certificates were obtained by the hackers. Western Digital confirms they have the ability to revoke any compromised certificates as needed.
This cyber attack hasn’t been without financial consequences, either. Western Digital released their Fiscal Third Quarter Financial Results report for 2023 showing the impact that the latest events have had on the financial bottom line. According to the report, revenue is down 10% quarter over quarter — though some of that likely comes from the global storage and components downturn rather than the hack. It’s unclear how long it will take to completely restore previous functionality for the online systems and undo the impact from the data breach.
We’ll find out next week if WD's store actually comes back online or not. Hopefully any security holes have now been fully plugged, but we'll be sure to keep you updated as new information unfolds.
