Sage customer information at risk in data breach

Newcastle-headquartered software giant Sage has been the victim of a data breach which may have compromised the personal information of employees at 280 businesses across the UK.

Police are investigating the incident which Sage believes was the “unauthorised access” of data by someone using an “internal” company computer login.

A Sage spokesperson said: “We are investigating unauthorised access to customer information using an internal login.

“We cannot comment further whilst we work with the authorities to investigate –  our customers remain our first priority and we are speaking directly with those affected.”

Sage has advised its business customers to look out for any unusual activity. It is understood the information was accessed at some point over the past few weeks. Sage notified its UK business customers that their information — including employee bank account details and salary information — may have been affected by a data breach.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), responsible for the enforcement of the Data Protection Act 1998, has also been informed.

It has been reported that a “maximum of between 200 and 300 companies” may have been affected by the breach.

Sage, which has its main base on Newcastle’s Great Park, was founded in 1981 and now has more than 13,000 employees worldwide.

The group has an annual turnover of £1.3bn, and is the only remaining technology stock on the FTSE 100.

Last month, Sage reported that its subscription revenues rose 33.2% in the third quarter compared to the same time last year.

If the ICO decides that Sage has been negligent there are a number of actions it could take, including criminal prosecution, non-criminal enforcement, or undertaking an audit at the firm.