Hacking group claims to have breached Acer’s European systems

A hacking group known as the Pakistan Cyber Army (PCA) claims to have broken Acer European's security systems, and stolen data on over 40,000 customers.

Screenshots sent to The Hacker News purport to show the names, addresses, emails and phone numbers of French customers. The PCA claims to have got in via FTP and downloaded source code and customer databases.

According to the database screenshot, British customers make up the second largest group in Acer's European operations, slightly behind the French. The hacking group has said that more data, and the aims of the hacking attack, will be released in the next 24 hours.

According to local reports the PCA has been active for the past few years, but had concentrated on defacing Indian government web sites and warding off retaliatory attacks from the Indian Cyber Army hacking group. However, it declared a truce in 2010, stating that it was concentrating on research.

Acer had not responded to requests for comment on the latest hack at the time of going to press, but it's been a bad week for the company.

Its share price plunged following news of inventory irregularities that will cost $150m, and Acer has just announced a series of austerity measures, including the cutting of 300 jobs in Europe, preceded by the loss of chief executive Gianfranco Lancihas.