Media giant Nikkei’s Asian unit hit by ransomware attack

Publishing giant Nikkei disclosed that the group's headquarters in Singapore was hit by a ransomware attack almost one week ago, on May 13, 2022.

"Unauthorized access to the server was first detected on May 13, prompting an internal probe," the company revealed in a press release published on Thursday.

"Nikkei Group Asia immediately shut down the affected server and took other measures to minimize the impact."

Nikkei says it's currently investigating if the attackers accessed any of the customer data that was likely stored on the impacted servers.

"The affected server likely contained customer data, and Nikkei is currently in the process of determining the nature and scope of the attack," Nikkei added.

The media giant said that, until now, it found no evidence of a data leak while investigating the ransomware attack.

Nikkei and its Asian unit reported the attack to the Japanese and Singaporean authorities in charge of personal data protection.

"We sincerely apologize for the trouble we've caused," Nikkei's public relations office said in a statement issued today.

"We will take appropriate action in cooperation with relevant authorities and strive to enhance information protection."

Hit by BEC scammers

Two years ago, Nikkei was also the victim of a high-profile business email compromise (BEC) scam when it lost millions following a single wire transfer.

The scammers, posing as a Nikkei executive, tricked one of Nikkei America's employees in New York City into sending $29 million to a bank account under their control.

Nikkei is one of the largest media corporations worldwide, with roughly 4 million print and digital subscribers and over 40 affiliated companies involved in publishing, broadcasting, events, database services, and the index business.

The media group, which acquired the Financial Times in 2015, currently has dozens of foreign editorial bureaus and more than 1,500 journalists around the world.

Thx to Douglas Mun for the tip.