A German software company known for its Windows utilities is warning customers to be on the alert for malicious e-mail messages after its servers were hacked.

Ashampoo, which also makes multimedia programs and security software, warned customers Wednesday that it had been hacked and that customers could now be sent infected emails that give criminals a way into their computers.

"We assume that the attackers were able to purloin data of customers," the company said in an e-mail message sent to customers. Billing information such as credit card numbers was not stolen, the company said, because that data is stored on another server, operated by a contractor. The company has nearly 14 million customers, but it's not immediately clear how many have had their names and e-mail addresses stolen.

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