Adidas Latest Victim of Cyber Attack
German sportswear and gear manufacturer Adidas is the latest victim of cyber attack. The company's Web site was closed on Sunday after a sophisticated and criminal hacking incident.
However, Adidas assured clients that based on its preliminary investigation, there is no evidence that consumer data was breached. Adidas took down the site after the cyber attack to conduct a thorough forensic review.
Affected by the cyber attacks which started on Thursday were Adidas's Reebok and several online stores. The company temporarily placed its statement on the ongoing investigation on its home page in lieu of the usual content.
Adidas Chief Executive Officer Herbert Hainer recently expressed optimism that the European debt crisis would not affect the company's growth due to its planned expansion in 2012 in Russia and China.
Mr Hainer said the sporting wear and equipment industry is very resilient to the crisis because of a global trend for people to be fitter and healthier by engaging in sport as they grow older.
Adidas's China, Russia and North American expansion plans are expected to generate half of the company's sales increase by 2015. The German firm, the world's second-largest sporting goods manufacturer next to Nike, forecasts earnings per share to grow 10 to 15 per cent in 2012 due to the European championship soccer finals in Poland and Ukraine, and the London Olympics.
It was not just only Adidas which suffered a cyber attack over the weekend. The Web sites of El Salvador President and government ministries were also hacked by the group Anonymous and had to be temporarily closed.