Yakult Australia, the renowned probiotic drink manufacturer, has become the latest victim of a significant cyberattack. This breach has led to the publication of a staggering 95 gigabytes of sensitive data on the dark web, marking a severe violation of digital security.
The cyberattack on Yakult Australia has resulted in a massive leak of sensitive information. The compromised data encompasses a wide range of employee documents, including passports, pre-employment medical assessments, certificates, salaries, and performance reviews. Alarmingly, the leaked records span back to 2001, indicating a deep intrusion into the company’s historical data. Additionally, a separate database containing the names and addresses of nearly 9,000 individuals was also disclosed. The nature of these records, whether they pertain to customers or not, remains uncertain.
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DragonForce Claimed Credit for the Breach
Responsibility for this cyber onslaught has been claimed by DragonForce, a notorious threat actor. This group has been actively targeting almost two dozen entities since early December, focusing on those who have “refused to cooperate.” Their targets are diverse, ranging from commercial entities to charitable organizations, such as a family charity based in Texas. It is crucial to note that DragonForce operates independently of DragonForce Malaysia, a hacktivist group known for attacking Israeli government agencies.
Yakult Australia’s Response and the Attack’s Impact
In response to this incident, Yakult Australia has acknowledged the situation as a “cyber incident.” The attack has impacted the company’s IT systems across Australia and New Zealand. Yakult Australia has maintained operational continuity despite this setback in all its regional offices. The company is currently working with cyber incident experts to fully assess the breach’s implications.
Nature of the Cyberattack
The attack is classified as a ransomware attack, a form of cybercrime where attackers seek to extort money from their targets. Yakult Australia first detected signs of the cyberattack on December 15. Subsequently, DragonForce publicly identified Yakult Australia as one of its victims on December 20, followed by the release of the stolen data on Christmas Day.
Ongoing Developments and Official Responses
The Australian Cyber Security Centre has been informed of the incident and is presumably involved in the ongoing investigation. Yakult Australia has not provided any additional comments beyond their initial statement on their website.
"Amateurs hack systems, professionals hack people."
-- Bruce Schneier, a renown computer security professional
