In the latest case of website defacing in the country, software giant Microsoft India's retail website has been hacked, forcing the company to shut it down temporarily.

According to reports, the company's retail website (www.microsoftstore.co.in), which sells Microsoft products, was hacked by a Chinese group called Evil Shadow Team.

Confirming the attack, a Microsoft spokeswoman said the website has been taken down and "Microsoft is investigating a limited compromise of the company's online store in India."

The store customers have already been sent guidance on the issue and suggested immediate actions and the team is diligently working to remedy the issue and keep customers protected, she said in an emailed statement.

The Microsoft Store India website showed an error message "The Microsoft Store India is currently unavailable. Microsoft is working to restore access as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Reports suggest that hackers may have access to user names and passwords. The spokesperson said the company was working on ensuring that the customer data is safe, but didn't comment on the number of users the website has.

Wesbite hacking has been a troublesome arena for Indian government for some time now. Some top Indian websites, including that of the country's Central Bureau of Investigation, have been hacked in the recent past.

According to government data, a total of 117 government websites were defaced during the period January-June, 2011.