Cyberattack on GMO in Japan linked to North Korean hackers — The Japan Times
In Japan, a cyberattack on GMO Internet Group was likely carried out by a hacker group linked to North Korea. The Japan Times reports, citing Kyodo News and cybersecurity specialists. According to them, five IP addresses used to access a website containing a statement claiming responsibility for the attack had previously been used by a group linked to North Korea.
Breach of cloud service
On October 21, GMO reported a breach of its Onamae.com desktop cloud service. The incident affected more than 26,000 servers, including accounts used for foreign exchange market trading.
After the breach was disclosed, the perpetrators demanded a $1 million ransom from the company and threatened to publish the stolen data. GMO said it would not yield to the attackers’ demands. On October 27, the hackers’ website published the personal data of an alleged victim, and the site ceased operating the following day.
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The company announced a $1 million reward for information that would help identify the attackers or contribute to their arrest. As of Saturday evening, GMO had received 428 reports, most of them submitted on the first day the hotline was operating. The company’s cybersecurity unit provided police with important information about the perpetrators of the attack.
Another data leak
Separately, GMO released the results of an audit of the GMO Trust Login service conducted by its GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae unit. The investigation showed that from November 2017 to September 2026, data belonging to nearly 2,500 companies and more than 45,000 people had been available for unauthorized access. In September, GMO discovered the breach and restricted access.
GMO CEO Masatoshi Kumagai was due to hold the company’s first public briefing since the scandal began. He was expected to explain in greater detail the circumstances of the attack and GMO’s response to reports about a system vulnerability that a subsidiary had allegedly drawn attention to two years earlier.
