Japan's largest taxi operator, Nihon Kotsu, suffers a cyber attack that forces its systems to shut down

Japan’s largest taxi operator confirms July 11 malware attack that forced it to shut down its IT systems and disrupt dispatch and booking services.
Nihon Kotsu isolated networks, notified authorities and hired outside experts; Customers were advised to use alternative taxi apps during the disruption.
No data breach has been confirmed, but Nihon Kotsu warned that it may disclose and notify affected parties if evidence of personal information exposure emerges.

Japan’s largest taxi operator, Nihon Kotsu, has confirmed that it suffered a cyber attack that forced it to temporarily shut down parts of its IT infrastructure.

In a statement posted on the company’s Japanese website, Nihon Kotsu said the attack took place in the early hours of July 11, a Saturday, when anonymous threat actors infected its devices with malware.

“We have recently discovered that our internal systems have been subjected to unauthorized external access (malware infection),” the machine-translated statement reads. “We deeply apologize for the great inconvenience and concern caused to our customers, business partners and all related parties due to this incident.”

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As soon as it detected the intrusion, Nihon Kotsu did what most companies do: it shut down its network to prevent further damage, notified the relevant law enforcement and data protection authorities, and hired outside experts to assess the damage and assist with repairs.

The closure means that some customer services are unavailable: “As a result, the web-based rental car booking and ordering management system, the telephone taxi dispatch service and some internal systems are temporarily unavailable,” the company said.

He advised his customers to use a different taxi app, which would allow them to choose the taxi service to their liking.

So far, there is no evidence of a data leak or leaks to the dark web. However, the company did leave it as a possibility.

“At this time, no data breach has been confirmed, but if any breach or possibility of personal information of customers or related parties is newly discovered, we will make official announcements immediately and contact affected parties individually in accordance with laws and regulations,” the company concluded.

Nihon Kotsu is Japan’s largest taxi operator, employing more than 18,000 people and managing a fleet of more than 8,500 taxis and more than 2,000 chauffeur-driven vehicles.

Through beepcomputer