[BreachExchange] Japan’s Hoya Corporation Suffers Cyber Attack, Computers Used for Cryptocurrency Mining

[Destry Winant]

https://beincrypto.com/japans-hoya-corporation-suffers-cyber-attack-computers-used-for-cryptocurrency-mining/amp/

Hoya Corporation, the leading manufacturer of optical products in
Japan, has just reported that it suffered a serious cyber attack in
late February. During the attack, factory lines were shut down for
three days as hackers tried to established unauthorized cryptocurrency
mining.

Over 100 computers were infected with a virus which stole user IDs and
passwords within the Hoya Corporation.

Although the company’s personal data was breached, the attack was a
precursor to setting up an unauthorized cryptocurrency mining
operation on the corporate systems.

Hoya Corporation is one of the largest companies in Japan and the
largest producer of optical products. It has over $4.1B in yearly
revenue.

According to Hoya, the cyber attack started on March 1. A computer
server controlling the network slowed down. Workers were no longer
able to use software to manage orders and production. As a result,
industrial output for Hoya dropped some 40 percent from its normal
levels.

The initial virus began to find its way to other computers but was
eventually thwarted before it could fully take root and begin its
cryptocurrency mining operation.

The factories affected were all based in Thailand and the attack is
said to have gone on for three days, although the information of the
attack has not been released. Hoya is apparently still reeling from
the cybercrime and has yet to fully recover the production that was
lost.

Viruses meant to embed themselves into network systems and computers
to mine cryptocurrency have been a common tool for cyberhackers. For
some websites, cryptocurrency mining is embedded in the browser itself
when the site is visited.

We can expect the Japanese authorities to investigate this case,
considering it affected one of the largest companies in the country.