BlackField group stole 2TB of data from Nidec Corp's Taiwanese subsidiary

A ransomware group calling itself BlackField has demanded a $2 million ransom from Japan’s Nidec Corporation after breaching the company’s Taiwanese subsidiary and stealing 2 terabytes of data.

 

Japanese electric motor manufacturing giant Nidec Corporation said its Taiwanese subsidiary, Nidec Chaun Choung Technology Corporation, suffered a major ransomware attack on 22nd June that forced it to shut down the targeted server and its network.

 

"To prevent the spread of the damage, emergency measures, including shutting down the affected server and network, were taken. In addition, we have promptly reported this matter to external specialised agencies and relevant administrative organs and launched an investigation with them to identify its cause," the company said.

 

Nidec Corporation assured customers and investors that its Taiwanese subsidiary’s network is independent, and the ransomware attack did not affect the systems of Nidec Corporation or other Nidec Group companies.

 

The electric motor manufacturer said it is presently investigating the ransomware attack’s impact on its production, shipping, and other business operations and will disclose material facts once it determines if any personal or confidential information was compromised.

 

"While this matter’s financial impact on Nidec Corporation’s consolidated performance is under examination at present, we will promptly report if this case is found to have any material impact on our performance and, as necessary, issue the next report based on the progress of the investigation," it added.

 

A previously-unknown ransomware group calling itself BlackField has claimed responsibility for the ransomware attack on the IT network of Nidec Chaun Choung Technology Corporation, claiming that it stole up to 2 terabytes of data, including employee records, financial data, procurement, manufacturing, legal, and IT files. 

 

The hacker group has publicly demanded a $2 million ransom from the company in exchange for not publishing the 2 TB dataset online. It has also announced that Nidec can pay $5,000 to prevent the publication by a day and any person or business can buy the entire stolen database for $400,000.

 

The Japanese technology company has not publicly responded to the hacker group’s threats. It is unclear if the two parties are negotiating as the hacker group is yet to post the stolen data online.