Acer
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Acer Inc. is a Taiwanese multinational company that produces computer hardware and electronics, headquartered in Xizhi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It was founded in 1976 and originally called Multitech. Today, they employ more than 7,800 people around the world, 47% of them in Taiwan.[1]
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 |
| Legal Structure | Public |
| Industry | Electronics |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://acer.com |
Its products include desktop PCs, laptop PCs (clamshells, 2-in-1s, convertibles, and Chromebooks), tablets, servers, storage devices, virtual reality devices, displays, smartphones, televisions, and peripherals, as well as gaming PCs and accessories under its Predator brand. As of 2024, Acer is the world's sixth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales.[2]
Consumer impact summary
editIncidents
editAny incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Acer category.
Personal data breach (2015)
editAcer exposed 35,071 of their customer's personal and financial information from 2015 - 2016 (names, full credit card details, addresses, and login credentials).[3]
This happened because an employee enabled debugging mode in the U.S. e-commerce platform store, which stored the data in plain text log files. In addition, the website was misconfigured to allow directory browsing, enabling attackers to easily access subdirectories and extract sensitive files. At the time of the incident Acer relied on this platform for direct-to-consumer sales. This made the website's security critical for handling sensitive data.
The case with the New York Attorney General’s office was settled in 2017.[4]
Consumer response
editOn The Register’s forum, reactions were similarly skeptical and critical.[5] Commenters condemned Acer for failing to follow PCI DSS compliance standards and for allowing card verification codes to be compromised.[6] Some users confirmed they did receive breach notification letters, though experiences varied widely. Many expressed concern that Acer’s negligence would push costs and risks onto consumers through fraudulent charges and credit monitoring needs.
Products
edit- Aazar
- eMachines
- ProPack
- Gateway
- Packard Bell
- Pawbo
- Predator
- Xplova
- Nitro
- Acerpure
References
edit- ↑ "Staff Employment". Acer. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ↑ LoDolce, Matt; Howley, Catherine (2024-01-10). "Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Increased 0.3% in Fourth Quarter of 2023 but Declined 14.8% for the Year". Gartner. Stamford, CT. Archived from the original on 2025-12-18.
- ↑ Schneiderman, Eric (2017-01-26). "A.G. Schneiderman Announces Settlement With Computer Manufacturer After Data Breach Exposed More Than 35,000 Credit Card Numbers". New York State Attorney General's Press Releases. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ↑ Mlot, Stepanie (2017-01-27). "Acer Settles Online Breach Probe for $115k". PC Mag. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ↑ Nichols, Shaun (2016-06-17). "You Acer holes! PC maker leaks payment cards in e-store hack". The Register. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ↑ Pasher, Justin (2016-06-17). "Re: Storing CC security verification codes". Forum on 'The Register'. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04. Retrieved 2025-08-18.