HCLTech says no evidence of system compromise after hacker group’s data breach claim

HCL Technologies issued a clarification on Monday after a hacker group’s claim, in media reports, that it had accessed the software services company’s employee data.

In an exchange filing, HCLTech said its initial investigation found the data "may be limited and dated to a few years back." It added that there was no evidence of a breach of its systems, and no indication that any client engagement was affected.

"The Company, however, is undertaking further investigation, and any material findings in this regard will be reported," it said.


The clarification comes a day after larger rival Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) made a similar disclosure. TCS said it had received intelligence alerts about possible exposure of employee data, following claims on social media that employee records, including names, job titles and phone numbers, were being offered on a hacking forum.

The data referenced in the alerts appears to be over four years old and limited to basic employee ⁠information, TCS ‌said in a statement, without offering further details, ⁠including who had issued the alerts and when.

TCS said it has had safeguards in place for over two years against the manner in which the attack was carried out. ‌It added that operational systems had not been impacted.

Cyber security talent in demand

Meanwhile, the recent surge in cyber breaches has prompted companies to step up hiring across cloud security, artificial intelligence (AI) security and threat intelligence as they seek to bolster their defences against evolving threats, ET reported on Sunday.

Companies actively hiring cybersecurity talent include Accenture, EY, TCS, PwC India, IDFC FIRST Bank, Deloitte, NTT DATA, JPMorganChase, Walmart Global Tech India and Wipro, according to data compiled for ET by specialist staffing firm Xpheno.

“Salaries have gone up. Cybersecurity professionals can command salaries starting at Rs 25-30 lakh, going up to Rs 1.2-1.3 crore or more,” said Pranshu Upadhyay, regional director, Michael Page India. “Candidates with niche skills in areas such as cloud security, cyber architecture and AI security can command 25-35% hikes.”