Advertisement

Communication startup Slack reports data breach

A lock icon, signifying an encrypted Internet connection, is seen on an Internet Explorer browser in a photo illustration in Paris April 15, 2014. REUTERS/Mal Langsdon

(Reuters) - Slack, a business management services startup, said a security breach in February may have compromised user information including phone number and Skype IDs.

Slack provides communication tools that integrate with several third-party applications such as Google Inc's Hangout and Twitter. It counts New York Times Co, Spotify and airbnb among its customers.

There was no indication in an ongoing investigation that hackers could decode stored passwords, Slack said in a blogpost on Friday. No financial or payment information was accessed during the hack that lasted about four days.

The investigation detected "suspicious activity" in some accounts, San Francisco-based Slack said. It has informed affected users and team owners.

Cybercrimes have emerged as one of the biggest threat to businesses, with companies such as Sony Corp and Target Corp finding themselves at the receiving end in the recent past.

(Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in Bengaluru)