Core Viewpoint - Clorox Company has filed a lawsuit against Cognizant Technology Solutions for gross negligence and breach of trust following a cyberattack that resulted in nearly $380 million in damages due to Cognizant's failure to adhere to cybersecurity protocols [1][5][6]. Group 1: Incident Overview - Clorox relied on Cognizant for operating its employee service desk, which included critical tasks like password recovery and credential resets for over a decade [2]. - On August 11, 2023, a cybercriminal gained direct access to Clorox's network credentials through the Cognizant-run service desk without proper authentication checks, which occurred multiple times [4]. - The cyberattack severely disrupted Clorox's corporate network and supply chain, impairing its ability to fulfill orders [5]. Group 2: Allegations Against Cognizant - Clorox alleges that Cognizant ignored established security procedures designed to prevent such attacks, leading to significant damages [5][6]. - The lawsuit claims that Cognizant's mishandling of credential requests was exacerbated by a poor incident response and disaster recovery effort [5]. - Despite claiming cybersecurity expertise and training for its staff, Cognizant's actions were described by Clorox as a "devastating lie," suggesting that the breach could have been avoided with proper adherence to protocols [6]. Group 3: Financial Impact - Clorox reported over $49 million in direct recovery costs and hundreds of millions more in business interruption losses due to the cyberattack [6]. - In contrast, Cognizant reported $20 billion in revenue for 2024, showing no immediate negative impact on its brand or financial performance [7].