Cognizant warns customers of potential data exposure after April cyber breach

IT services firm Cognizant has notified customers of a data breach that occurred on April 21, 2026, which may have exposed personal information, while stating that there is no evidence so far that the data has been misused, as per multiple reports. In a notification sent to affected individuals, the US-headquartered company said it was informing customers as a precautionary measure despite having no reason to believe the information had been improperly used.

“While we have no reason to believe that your information was misused, we thought it prudent to make this notification,” Cognizant said in the letter. “We deeply regret this incident and any inconvenience to you.” The disclosure comes amid heightened scrutiny of cybersecurity practices in the Indian IT services sector. Over the past two weeks, industry peers Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCLTech and Hexaware have denied reports of alleged employee data leaks within their organisations.

According to media reports, a cybercrime group known as CoinbaseCartel has claimed responsibility for the Cognizant breach. The incident reportedly exposed Social Security numbers and other personal information. Cognizant advised affected individuals that they may file a police report or place a security freeze on their credit reports at no cost. A security freeze prevents credit reporting agencies from releasing information from a consumer's credit report without written authorisation.

The company has also offered identity theft protection services through IDX, a provider of data breach response and recovery services. The package includes 24 months of credit and CyberScan monitoring, identity theft recovery support and an insurance reimbursement policy of up to $1 million. “With this protection, IDX will help you resolve issues if your identity is compromised,” Cognizant said. However, the company did not provide details on the number of individuals affected by the incident.

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