A support forum for Creative Technology consumers, which can be accessed via the main website, was hacked some time in the middle of this year, The Straits Times learnt recently.

Although information such as e-mail addresses, forum usernames, IP addresses and encrypted passwords were breached, the home-grown consumer electronics company told ST it was a “minor incident” which did not involve “major sensitive information”.

Cyber-security experts warn that such data breaches should not be treated lightly as any personal detail can aid hackers. Breaches, they add, could be a warning of a more serious incident to come.

Associate Professor Alan Chong of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said any detail can be used as intelligence in the world of cyber espionage.

“I don’t think there’s anything useless, even an encrypted password can be reverse engineered,” said Prof Chong, a cyber-security researcher.

He said the hack on a seemingly trivial forum could spell something more sinister, for example a hacker practising in preparation for a bigger breach or a competitor trying to infiltrate Creative’s database for information.