(Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Hackers have managed to infiltrate the Japanese technology firm Fujitsu by secretly spreading malware to the company.
“We confirmed the presence of malware on several of our company's work computers,” Fujitsu quietly posted in a statement last Friday.
The company’s investigation also discovered that the malware led to the theft of “files containing personal information.” As a result, Fujitsu is warning that customer data may have been stolen.
“After confirming the presence of malware, we immediately disconnected the affected business computers and took measures such as strengthening monitoring of other business computers,” Fujitsu said. “Additionally, we are currently continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the malware's intrusion and whether information has been leaked.”
Fujitsu didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, so it’s unclear if ransomware was involved in the attack. So far, it looks like Fujitsu has only reported the incident on the company’s Japanese website and to the country’s Personal Information Protection Commission. The company's statement refrains from mentioning if any US user data was ensnared.
Still, the hack could be far reaching. The company is one of the largest IT service providers in the world, employing over 124,000 workers worldwide, and supporting customers in 180 countries. This includes providing IT services to governments, such as the Department of Defense.
If the incident did involve a ransomware gang, then it’s possible the attackers will threaten to leak the stolen information to pressure Fujitsu to pay up. But in the company’s statement, Fujitsu noted: “To date, we have not received any reports that personal information or information about our customers has been misused.”