Inside Cognizant’s April Data Breach: What Customer Information May Have Been Exposed

Cognizant has notified customers about a data breach that took place on April 21, 2026, and may have exposed their personal information, according to a Moneycontrol report. The company said there is no evidence so far that the information has been misused.

In a letter to customers, Cognizant said it had no reason to believe their information was misused but decided to notify them as a precaution. The company also apologised for the incident and advised customers to contact it for more information.

What Information Was Exposed?

According to media reports, cybercrime group CoinbaseCartel claimed responsibility for the breach. The incident reportedly exposed Social Security numbers along with other personal information.

The breach comes as several Indian IT companies have faced claims of employee data leaks in recent weeks. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCLTech and Hexaware have denied alleged data leaks within their organisations.

Cognizant has advised affected customers that they can file a police report or place a security freeze on their credit reports at no cost. A security freeze prevents a credit reporting agency from releasing information from a consumer’s credit report without written authorisation.

Cognizant Offers Identity Theft Protection

The IT services company is also offering identity-theft protection through IDX, a data breach and recovery services provider. The service is aimed at helping customers respond if their identity is compromised.

The protection package includes 24 months of credit and CyberScan monitoring, along with a $1 million insurance reimbursement policy. It also includes fully managed identity-theft recovery services.

Cognizant said customers who use the protection service will receive support from IDX in resolving issues if their identity is compromised. The company has urged affected customers to use the available measures and contact it if they need further information.

The disclosure adds to growing concerns around the exposure of personal and employee information in the IT sector, even as Cognizant maintains that it has found no evidence of misuse of the affected information so far.