Fujitsu, one of the world’s leading IT companies, reports uncovering the hack in their internal network. The company discovered malware in its IT systems, which led to a massive data breach.
Fujitsu Hacked, Company Publishes Report
The first to discover Fujitsu hack was the company’s IT specialists who were performing the scanning. The first signs of compromised systems were noticed earlier in March 2023, which immediately raised concerns among the technical team. The company’s management was immediately notified of the possible threat, leading to an extensive internal investigation.
The said investigation is still ongoing, and is now targeted at determining the amount and types of leaked data. The company says it has not received any reports of personal information being misused as a result of the hack. However, the attack could have affected important databases containing customers’ personal data, including names, addresses, contact information and details of contractual relationships.
Initial steps taken by Fujitsu included isolating the infected systems to prevent the malware from spreading further. The company also engaged external cybersecurity experts to conduct a detailed analysis of the situation and determine the source of the attack.
Analysis of Malware
Preliminary analysis showed that the malware was specifically designed to steal sensitive information. Experts noted that it was not a “common” malware sample but a one crafted for this specific attack. The program acted selectively, targeting particularly sensitive data, such as employees’ personal data, financial information and details of internal company research.
Most interestingly, the attack targeted specific systems and used sophisticated methods to bypass standard security measures. It is a common tactic for attackers to use custom malware builds for targeted attacks on corporate networks, but it is not usual to see them using a yet unseen sample.
Fujitsu Was Hacked Before
In June 2023, Fujitsu Cloud Technologies, a subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, received a public reprimand from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The ministry demanded that both Fujitsu Cloud Technologies and Fujitsu Limited take immediate action to implement security measures to safeguard communications privacy and enhance cybersecurity. Fujitsu Limited is set to merge with its subsidiary in the near future.
In 2022, a breach affected Fujitsu Limited’s cloud-based internet service used by governments and large corporations. Attackers accessed the system and leaked sensitive information. Around the late 2022, the company uncovered the hack in one of their divisions, FENICS Internet.
This company was also implicated in the May 2021 supply chain attack. Its Fujitsu ProjectWEB project management suite was accessed by an unauthorized third party and the incident resulted in a data leak affecting several Japanese government agencies. The data was allegedly sold on the darknet. The company later discontinued the ProjectWEB portal/tool.
What then?
Well, despite best efforts, even technologically advanced companies like Fujitsu are not immune to cyberattacks and subsequent data breaches. Even with advanced defense systems, attackers are finding ways to bypass defenses, resulting in serious consequences for companies and their customers. Hopefully, the measures taken and lessons learned from this experience contribute to strengthening data protection.
