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The ALPHV ransomware group (aka BlackCat) has included Seiko on its victim list in its extortion websites. The group claimed responsibility for the disclosed hack of the Japanese firm this month.
Seiko is one of the world’s biggest watch manufacturers, home to approximately 12,000 employees. Its annual revenue has exceeded $1.6 billion.
Seiko disclosed a data breach incident earlier in August.
The Japanese watch company, Seiko, has published a notice of a data breach incident to inform everyone that an unauthorised third-party acquired access to some parts of its IT infrastructure and accessed or potentially exfiltrated information.
The company’s initial investigation revealed that they suffered the attack in late July after they observed unauthorised access to one of their servers. The company immediately contacted third-party cybersecurity experts to aid them with their investigations.
Unfortunately, their investigation has uncovered details about the breach, and they concluded that some of their stored information may have fallen into the hands of cybercriminals. Eventually, the company apologised to the potentially affected customers, business partners, and relevant individuals. They have also advised them to be wary of unwanted emails and communications as the threat actors could disguise themselves as Seiko representatives.
On the other hand, the ALPHV ransomware group claimed to be the culprit of the data breach attack against Seiko after posting data samples allegedly stolen during the incident.
The list of stolen data includes production plans, new model release plans, specialised lab test results, and employee passport scans. Furthermore, the threat actors have published samples of what they claim are Seiko watch designs and confidential technical schematics.
This detail indicates that the BlackCat could have obtained blueprints, drawings, or sample designs that the company plans to release. The information also includes patented technology, which would expose the designs to its competitors.
ALPHV/BlackCat is one of the most sophisticated and notorious ransomware groups actively attacking enterprise entities and upgrading their extortion tactics.
Cybersecurity experts urge affected individuals to be vigilant with their emails and other communications since the threat actors could use the stolen data to execute different malicious campaigns while waiting for Seiko’s decisions.
