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Google has officially confirmed that it fell victim to a cyberattack, resulting in the theft of user data from one of its databases.
The Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) identified the hack as a result of an attack on a Salesforce instance, a corporate database used by Google to store contact information and related notes for small and medium businesses.
Other companies whose Salesforce instances have been breached, Bleeping Computer reported, include Adidas, Qantas, Allianz Life, Cisco, and the LVMH subsidiaries Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Tiffany & Co.
The hackers, believed to be affiliated with the ransomware group ShinyHunters (also known as UNC6040), managed to retrieve customer data during a brief attack window in June. Google confirmed that the stolen data consists of “basic and largely publicly available business information, such as business names and contact details.”
This incident serves as a stark reminder that even the world’s leading technology firms are vulnerable to cybercrime. According to William Wright, CEO of Closed Door Security, the news “highlights that no organisation is immune to cybercrime.”
ShinyHunters is known for using a tactic of extorting victims with ransom demands via email or phone calls. While Google has not confirmed if this was the case in this particular attack, the company’s disclosure of the breach and the nature of the data stolen has raised concerns among its business users.
The attack on Google’s Salesforce database underscores the growing threat landscape and the need for all organizations, regardless of their size, to maintain robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data.
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