LaCie Dealing with Possible Year-long Security Breach

Dealing with hackers is just a way of life these days. Normal people who don’t understand all that goes into data security are finding themselves more susceptible to attacks than ever before. Most people understand they are not using top-of-the-line encryption protocols but they do expect the companies they do business with to be more secure than the average household. That is why the recent report that computer storage specialist LaCie (News - Alert) has been hit by hackers is especially troubling.

The company admitted hackers were able to breach its security and they may have stolen credit card info, as well as passwords. Perhaps even more troubling is that the company itself did not catch the breach but was notified by the FBI about the problem. The FBI has said there were “indications” that a hacker used a piece of malware to copy details that were entered into its online store site.

The breach has apparently been going on for quite some time. LaCie believes the hacker has had access to financial details since March 27 of last year to March 10 of this year. Industry experts are on record as being a bit surprised that this kind of breach would go unnoticed so long by a company that deals in the computing world.

Ron Austin, a senior lecturer in computer security at Birmingham City University has especially taken note of the breach and how LaCie has handled it. "It is a major breach, LaCie is a fairly big company and you would question their information security policies. No expert can guarantee 100 percent security, but it goes back to compliance and ensuring that if you're offering services out on to the web that you are carrying out regular checks," Austin told BBC News.

The attack, should it be confirmed would be especially damaging to the company because LaCie offers up security products as part of its line.