The crisis began October 21 when the firm shuttered its Onamae Desktop Cloud after detecting unauthorized system access and receiving an 8-billion-yen ransom demand. By October 27, the situation escalated when attackers allegedly leaked proprietary business information and customer data online. GMO is currently verifying the authenticity of these files while simultaneously collecting customer devices to scan for persistent malware. The incident potentially affects 27,000 servers used primarily by financial traders, who have already reported suspicious unauthorized operations on their accounts.
GMO Internet Investigates Massive Data Breach Following Ransom Demand
A 50-million-dollar extortion attempt has paralyzed the Onamae cloud desktop service, as Tokyo-based GMO Internet scrambles to contain a suspected breach. The company faces reports of unauthorized trading activity across its infrastructure, prompting an urgent security reset for thousands of users and an investigation into potentially compromised server data.
While the company has not confirmed a link, the breach follows recent warnings regarding the Artex penetration tool, an AI-enabled software previously tied to cyberattacks against South Korean financial institutions. Japan’s Financial Service Agency has stepped up oversight, having issued guidance in May that mandated stronger multi-factor authentication and incident preparedness across the sector. GMO continues to coordinate with local police and government agencies to mitigate the fallout, offering compensation and alternative services to those impacted by the ongoing service blackout.
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