Hackers target Dell customer information

Computer giant Dell said Wednesday it headed off an attempted hack of its network earlier this month.

Dell said it detected and disrupted an attempt to extract Dell.com customer information, including names, email addresses and hashed passwords, from its network on Nov. 9. Dell didn't describe the hashing algorithm it uses to mask passwords.

"Though it is possible some of this information was removed from Dell's network, our investigations found no conclusive evidence that any was extracted," Dell said in a statement.

Dell said its customers' credit card and other sensitive information weren't targeted in the breach, and that the incident didn't cause a disruption to its services.

After detecting the hack, Dell said it initiated a password reset, contacted law enforcement and employed a digital forensics company to perform an independent investigation.

Dell declined to say how many accounts may have been affected by breach.

"Since this is a voluntary disclosure, and there is no conclusive evidence that customer account information was extracted, it would be imprudent to publish potential numbers when there may be none," a Dell spokesman said in an emailed statement. 

First published Nov. 28, 3:47 p.m. PT.
Update, 7:25 p.m.: Adds Dell comment.