Korn/Ferry Was Target of ‘Criminal’ Data-Security Breach

Korn/Ferry International (KFY), the executive-recruiting firm, said it was the target of a criminal security breach.

The company worked with law enforcement and a digital-risk- management firm to investigate and contain the breach, it said today in a statement. The databases that were impacted don’t typically hold credit cards, Social Security numbers or health information, and Korn/Ferry said it has no knowledge of any information that was “compromised.”

The company didn’t say when the attack happened, or when it was discovered.

“Korn/Ferry is deeply committed to maintaining the security of its data, and will continue to work diligently toward achieving this objective,” the Los Angeles-based firm said in the statement.

The investigation so far shows that the intrusion was a sophisticated kind of attack called an “advanced persistent threat,” typical of state-sponsored cybercriminals, the company said.

Korn/Ferry, which has almost 80 offices in 40 countries, according to its website, rose 0.3 percent to $14.04 at the close in New York. The stock has dropped 18 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Frier in New York at sfrier1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Crayton Harrison at tharrison5@bloomberg.net