Japanese Companies Report Major Data Breaches Affecting Millions
The compromised data reportedly includes members’ names, email and residential addresses, telephone numbers and encrypted passwords.
The company also said attackers fraudulently exchanged reward points belonging to users for Amazon gift card codes. The points involved were valued at approximately 2.9 million yen, equivalent to around $18,000.
GMO Research & AI operates the infoQ website, where members receive reward points for completing surveys.
According to the company, the cyberattack began Friday when attackers exploited a vulnerability in software used by the website. GMO detected the unauthorized access the following day, blocked the intrusion and suspended the affected service.
The company said it plans to fully reimburse users affected by the fraudulent use of their reward points. A cybersecurity company has also been brought in to assist with the investigation and determine the full extent of the breach.
A separate data security incident was reported Tuesday by discount retailer Mr Max Holdings Ltd., which said personal information belonging to as many as 1.7 million customers may have been exposed following unauthorized access to a server supporting its mobile application and online store.
The potentially affected information includes customers’ names, email addresses and phone numbers. The company said credit card information, home addresses and dates of birth were not included in the compromised data.
Mr Max detected the unauthorized access Saturday and immediately suspended the affected services. The company said it had not identified evidence that the information had been misused but urged customers to remain cautious about suspicious messages and potential phishing attempts.
The two incidents add to a series of significant cybersecurity breaches reported by Japanese companies in recent days.
Monogatari Corp., which operates the Yakiniku King barbecue restaurant chain, said Monday that more than 10 million pieces of customer information had been leaked following unauthorized access to its reservation and rewards application.
Daiwa Securities Group also reported separately that information belonging to approximately 110,000 customers may have been compromised after unauthorized access to a server operated by one of its contractors.
The incidents highlight the continuing exposure of companies and their customers to cyberattacks targeting online platforms, applications and third-party systems. The latest breaches involve a range of businesses and potentially affect millions of individuals across Japan.
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