Cognizant Data Breach Exposes Social Security Numbers

Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp., a major information technology and services company headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, disclosed a data breach that occurred in April 2026.

Cognizant provides IT consulting, application development, systems integration, cloud, cybersecurity and AI services to clients in North America, Europe and other international markets. The company serves businesses across industries including financial services, healthcare, communications, manufacturing and retail.

The breach was reported to the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation on Aug. 18, 2026. Cognizant sent written notices to affected individuals by mail.

The breach of personal information occurred on or around April 21, 2026, at Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp.

A threat actor group known as CoinbaseCartel claimed responsibility for the incident. On April 15, 2026, the group posted on a dark web site hosted on the Tor network, claiming to have obtained data belonging to the organization.

The personal information exposed in this breach included Social Security numbers.

Cognizant's response to the breach

Cognizant is providing affected individuals with 24 months of identity theft protection services through IDX. The services include credit and CyberScan monitoring, a $1 million insurance reimbursement policy and fully managed identity theft recovery services.

To enroll in the identity protection services, affected individuals can call the dedicated toll-free phone number included in their notification letter, visit the IDX enrollment website or scan a QR code printed on the letter.

IDX representatives are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time to answer questions and assist with enrollment.

Cognizant also provided detailed instructions on how to place security freezes and fraud alerts with the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.