Hacking Customer Info? Panasonic Says There Has Been A Data Breach In Their System

Panasonic confirmed that the multinational company has suffered from a cyber attack; a data breach reported in its network.

Panasonic Reported A Data Breach

Earlier this month, the Japanese multinational conglomerate just revealed that Panasonic underwent a data breach. The report says that an unauthorized third party accessed its network.

In a press release from Panasonic, there was an investigation taking place after the cyber intruder allegedly accessed one of their file servers and its stored data during the breach.

"After detecting the unauthorized access, the company immediately reported the incident to the relevant authorities and implemented security countermeasures, including steps to prevent external access to the network," Panasonic said in a statement.

Panasonic did not provide any information in their press release. However, Japanese outlets got the scoop and reported that the said breach started on June 22 until November 3.

The company did not comment on the news. Later on, in an interview with TechCrunch, it was revealed that their press release on November 11 refers to the first discovery of the said data breach.

News from NHK reported that the cyber attack invaded the servers' stored information on Panasonic's business partners, including their technology.

Notably, a ransomware incident in November, which involved the company's subsidiary, was also leaked, together with business information.

"In addition to conducting its own investigation, Panasonic is currently working with a specialist third-party organization to investigate the leak and determine if the breach involved customers' personal information and/or sensitive information related to social infrastructure."

To add, Japanese news outlets also stated that the said third-party or hacker may have accessed sensitive information in Panasonic's storage data. These data include details about their customers, employees' personal info, and even the company's domestic operation files.

Regardless, Panasonic neither confirmed nor denied the break of sensitive information and only spoke about the cyber attack in press releases and interviews.

"We cannot predict whether it will affect our business or business performance, but we cannot deny the possibility of a serious incident," the company told Mainichi on Friday.

The said statement, according to The Record, is Panasonic's response to reports saying the data breach may have also involved information about their employees.

How Panasonic Detected The Data Breach

Although it was reported that the hacker had already gained access to Panasonic's internal storage data, they were only able to detect the breach months later.

Panasonic detected the cyberattack after identifying abnormal network traffic. The company immediately reported the incident and has since then been partnering up with others to implement several security countermeasures.

These countermeasures exclusively include preventing external access to their network.

If recalled earlier this year, Panasonic had an agreement with McAfee to develop vehicle security operations, which mainly focus on future cyberattacks.

Still, until now, Panasonic remains ongoing with the investigation and is now working with a specialist to investigate the cyberattack, especially if it involves personal and/or sensitive information.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Thea Felicity