Archive · 26 Jul 2025
Clorox Sues Cognizant Over Cyberattack, Blames Password Reset Failure
Imagine a big company called Clorox, which makes things like bleach.
They hired another company, Cognizant, to help with their computer systems.
Someone pretended to be a Clorox employee and tricked Cognizant into giving them a secret password.
This let the bad guys into Clorox's computers, causing a big problem.
The computers stopped working, and Clorox couldn't sell its products.
Clorox says this caused a lot of money lost and is suing Cognizant to get it back because they feel Cognizant should have been more careful.
Cognizant says it's not their fault, as they only managed a small part of the computer systems.
Clorox is suing Cognizant for $380 million, alleging a password reset failure led to a cyberattack.
The lawsuit claims Cognizant, Clorox's IT service provider, granted a hacker access by bypassing security protocols.
The cyberattack, initiated in August 2023, paralyzed Clorox's network and disrupted business operations.
Clorox states the attack resulted in $380 million in damages, including remedial costs and lost revenue.
Cognizant disputes responsibility, citing their limited scope of services and Clorox's inadequate cybersecurity.
- Who
- Clorox is suing Cognizant.
- What
- Clorox is suing Cognizant for $380 million after a cyberattack.
- When
- The cyberattack occurred in August 2023.
- Where
- A US court.
- Why
- Clorox alleges Cognizant's failure to follow security protocols led to the cyberattack.
Clorox's View
Cognizant's View
Responsibility for Cyberattack
Clorox's View
Cognizant's security lapse directly caused the cyberattack, resulting in significant financial damages.
Cognizant's View
Cognizant fulfilled its limited service agreement and is not responsible for the attack.
- Plaintiff
- Clorox
- Defendant
- Cognizant
- Claimed Damages
- $380 million
- Alleged Cause
- Password reset failure
- Date of Attack
- August 2023