Ad and PR Giant Dentsu Says Hackers Stole Merkle Data

Japan-based Dentsu, one of the world’s largest advertising and PR companies, has disclosed a data breach impacting systems of its subsidiary Merkle.

With headquarters in the US and UK, Merkle is a customer experience management company that has more than 16,000 employees and over 80 locations worldwide.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by Dentsu, the breach was discovered after abnormal activity was detected on the Merkle network. Some systems have been shut down in response to the incident.

Dentsu has admitted that the hackers have taken certain files from the Merkle network, including ones containing information related to some suppliers, clients, and current and former employees.

In a separate statement on its UK website, which is addressed to current and former employees of its UK operations, Dentsu said the compromised files are believed to include sensitive information such as personal contact details, salary, bank and payroll ...