TOKYO (TR) – A Russian-linked hacker group calling itself “RansomHouse” has claimed responsibility for a massive cyberattack on Japanese food and logistics giant Nichirei, which severely disrupted operations and supply chains for thousands of businesses, it was learned on Wednesday, reports Jiji Press (July 22).
The cybercriminal group’s manifesto was discovered on the dark web by Nobuo Miwa, president of information security firm S&J. Alongside the statement, the hackers posted a sample of data allegedly stolen from Nichirei’s servers, demanding the company contact them to prevent a full-scale leak of the compromised information.
Nichirei acknowledged being aware of the group’s claim but stated they would “refrain from commenting on the details of the attack.”
Compromised servers
The company first confirmed unauthorized access to its network on July 13. Nichirei admitted that some of the compromised servers contained personal information and has begun notifying potentially affected individuals via email and postal mail. As of now, the company says no actual data leak has been confirmed.
The ransomware attack caused widespread chaos, directly impacting approximately 5,000 corporate clients. The breach paralyzed cold storage warehouse logistics and frozen food shipments nationwide, forcing major retailers to scramble.
KFC Japan was forced to restrict menu items and shorten operating hours across the country before finally resuming normal operations on Tuesday. Supermarket giant Aeon also suffered shortages of frozen goods, though its inventory is now returning to normal.
Number of targeted companies “is exploding”
Nichirei has been gradually restoring its systems since July 17 and is aiming for a complete resumption of shipping and related operations by the end of this week.
RansomHouse is notorious for its ransomware extortion tactics and previously targeted Japanese office supply company Askul in a similar attack last October.
Warning of the escalating cyber threat landscape, Nobuo Miwa, president of security firm S&J, noted, “The number of companies being targeted is exploding.”
