Japanese publishing giant Kadokawa suffers massive cyber attack
Kadokawa Corporation, one of the largest publishing companies in Japan, has confirmed a major data breach that has compromised the personal information of over 254,241 individuals. The Kadokawa data breach was discovered on June 8th after a thorough investigation by external cybersecurity experts.
According to details shared by Kadokawa, the cyber attack specifically targeted the data center of its subsidiary DWANGO Co., Ltd., a company known for operating Niconico video and live streaming services.
Types of data exposed in the Kadokawa data breach
The investigation revealed that a wide variety of personal and organizational data had been accessed and potentially exfiltrated by the attackers:
Personal information of business partners including names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, emails, pseudonyms, bank account details etc.
Personal details of former DWANGO employees
Personal information of individuals who were interviewed by DWANGO and its affiliates in the past
- Education records, student status and personal details of current/past students, graduates, parents and applicants of N Progressive School and N/S High Schools
- Employment records and personal information of all current and former employees (including contract and temporary workers) of DWANGO as well as some affiliated companies
- Internal documents and information related to companies owned by former DWANGO employees
- Contract documents with various business partners
Ransomware attack led to data breach
The breach is believed to have been caused by a ransomware attack on Kadokawa’s network. According to the company, attackers initially compromised employee account credentials through phishing emails and used that access to deploy ransomware within internal systems.
Despite security controls, Kadokawa acknowledged the failure to prevent this incident and is committed to implementing stronger measures with external cybersecurity partners to avoid recurrences in future.
Malicious dissemination of leaked data
Kadokawa’s investigation team was able to identify 896 cases where leaked information was maliciously shared on platforms like Twitter and Japanese bulletin boards related to DWANGO. Additionally, 67 such cases pertaining to Kadokawa DWANGO Educational Institute were reported.
The company is actively working to get these posts removed and pursuing legal action against the bad actors responsible for this activity.
Gradual resumption of Niconico video service
DWANGO announced that their popular ‘Niconico’ video platform, which was rendered unavailable following the ransomware attack in June, will resume operations in a new version called ‘Nico Nico is Back’ starting August 5th. The company aims to restore the service as soon as possible to bring relief to users who have been waiting patiently. DWANGO is committed to strengthening defenses of the Niconico platform going forward.
This massive data breach at one of Japan’s largest publishers highlights the dangers of ransomware attacks for organizations. Kadokawa is helping impacted individuals while toughening security and tracking any unlawful use of the stolen information. The case underlines the importance of prioritizing employee training, access controls and incident response planning.
