Samsung says data breach in July revealed customers' names and other details

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, on Friday said it suffered a cyber security breach in late July that exposed the personal information of some customers in the US.

Customer information including name, contact and demographic details, date of birth and product registration data was compromised following the incident but social security numbers and credit card numbers were not affected.

"In late July 2022, an unauthorised third party acquired information from some of Samsung’s US systems," it said.

The company, however, did not provide information on how many customers were affected by the breach. “We have taken actions to secure the affected systems, and have engaged a leading outside cyber security firm and are co-ordinating with law enforcement,” the company said. The company is informing customers to make them aware of this matter and the information affected for each relevant customer may vary, it added.

This is the second time Samsung has confirmed a data breach this year. In March, the company confirmed that it was hit by a large-scale data breach in which hackers were able to steal about 200 gigabytes of confidential source code related to its flagship Galaxy smartphone series. An anonymous group calling itself Lapsus$ claimed responsibility.

Samsung said it will work with experts to enhance the security of its systems.

“We will further enhance the security of our systems — and our customers’ personal information — and work to maintain the trust our customers have put into the Samsung brand for more than 40 years."

The South Korean company reported a more than 12 per cent surge in second-quarter net profit, as revenue rose during the period on the back of higher semiconductor sales.

Profit at the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer in the three months ending June 30 rose to 14.10 trillion won ($10.82 billion) from 12.57tn won a year earlier. Consolidated revenue during the period surged 21 per cent to 77.2tn won.