Casio Cyberattack Causes System Failures, Investigations Underway

Japanese tech giant Casio has reported a significant cyberattack that led to a system failure, affecting the availability of services for its customers. The intrusion, which took place on 5 October, prompted the company to initiate investigations into the breach.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Casio confirmed that both its internal team and an external specialist agency are examining the incident to determine whether any personal or sensitive information has been compromised. The company remains tight-lipped about the specifics of the attack, including whether it involved ransomware or if the hackers have made their identities known.

This incident follows a similar breach last year, when hackers accessed Casio’s ClassPad.net education web application, leading to the exposure of information from customers in 148 countries. In that case, the company reported that over 120,000 pieces of data were leaked, affecting 1,108 educational institutions and an undisclosed number of individuals.

While Casio has not disclosed which specific customer services were disrupted due to the current cyberattack, it has assured stakeholders that it reported the incident to relevant authorities promptly. The company stated, “We have implemented measures such as restricting access from outside to enhance security.”

Despite generating around $440 million in sales last quarter, Casio has experienced a decline in revenue over the past decade. In the latest breach, the leaked data reportedly includes customer names, email addresses, country of residence, order details, service usage information, and payment methods; however, no credit card information was compromised.

The company reported that 91,921 items belonging to customers in Japan and 35,049 items from international customers were exposed, although it has yet to clarify what constitutes an “item.”