Toyota confirmed on Friday, Oct. 7, that roughly 296,000 of customer information might have been leaked to unidentified hackers. The Japanese automaker said that those who are using the T-Connect service are the ones who are affected by the recent attack.
Toyota Leak Exposes Thousands of Customer Data
Reuters reports that Toyota has been hit by a massive leak where thousands of information from customers are potentially exposed online.
To be exact, 296,019 customer numbers and email addresses are subject to cybersecurity leaks. Toyota clarifies that they came from customers who are using T-Connect.
For those unfamiliar with T-Connect, it's a smartphone app that allows Toyota owners to connect to their cars. This telematics service offers a variety of functions for their driving needs.
Toyota said that those customers who signed up for the T-Connect website were the affected individuals during the latest hack. These are the persons who have been using their email addresses from July 2017 up to the present.
At the time, the investigators have not yet found out if there are any traces of third-party access from the data server of customer information, according to Toyota.
Moreover, the car manufacturer said the third-party access "could not be completely ruled out" for the leak that recently struck its business.
Phishing Scams Are Probable
Regardless, Toyota is aware that there is still a chance that the customers' personal details, including their names, credit card numbers, and dates of birth, were compromised.
Additionally, the company did not see any hints that the information was subject to misuse. However, it reminded all the users that attackers might be lurking nearby. They could launch an attack on their email addresses at any given a chance via phishing scams, spam text messages, and malicious email links.
This is not the first time Toyota encountered a system breach. Back in February, the company was forced to stop car production in 14 plants in Japan because of the cyberattack.
At that time, the automaker missed out on around 13,000 units as output. The cyber hack also hit the supplier of its car parts and components.
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Toyota Stocks Plunge Following the Hack
According to a report by News.com.au, Toyota saw a gradual decline in its stock price. It reportedly slipped to 1,985 yen ($13.68) on Friday-- a 0.72% decrease on its part.
Amid the cyberattacks, Toyota is also struggling to meet its target units because of the ongoing chip shortage. The semiconductor crisis resulted in an 18% decline in the company's earnings during August 2022.
At the time, the quarterly sale of Toyota automobiles had rolled down from 2.1 million units based on the year-over-year comparison.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
