HCLTech denies systems breach amid data exposure reports

HCLTech has clarified that its initial probe found no evidence of a breach in its systems or client engagements after a hacker group claimed exposure of employee-related data. The company said the information appears limited and dated, and it continues to investigate. The statement follows a similar clarification by TCS, which also reported no credible breach evidence.

New Delhi: IT services provider HCLTech has said its initial investigation found no evidence of a breach of the company’s systems or any impact on client engagements following claims by a hacker group regarding the potential exposure of employee-related data.

In a stock exchange filing, HCLTech said it was responding to media reports that cited allegations by a hacker group about possible exposure of limited data elements relating to its employees.

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“The company’s initial investigation has revealed that the aforesaid data may be limited and dated to a few years back,” the IT firm said.

It added that there was no evidence of breach at the company’s systems or engagement with any of the company’s clients.

HCLTech said it is continuing to investigate the matter and will disclose any material findings, if any, arising from the review.

“The company considers cyber security as its top priority and remains committed to protecting the information entrusted to it,” it said.

The disclosure comes after peer Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) issued a similar clarification following threat-intelligence alerts that alleged possible exposure of certain employee information.

On Monday, TCS told stock exchanges that it found no credible evidence of a breach of its systems or customer environments after investigating the claims.

The information referenced in the alerts appeared to be more than four years old and was limited to basic employee information, according to TCS. The company had also said there was no indication that customer data, customer systems or TCS operational systems had been impacted.

In its filing, TCS noted that the alleged attacker claimed to have used password spraying and multi-factor authentication (MFA) fatigue as attack vectors.

Shares of HCLTech were trading higher at Rs 1,371 apiece on the BSE.