Ransomware
Kadokawa / Niconico BlackSuit Ransomware Attack
Primary Source ↗Incident Details
On 8 June 2024, BlackSuit (rebrand of Royal ransomware / Conti successor) attacked Japanese media/gaming giant Kadokawa and its Niconico video platform. 254,241 individuals’ data was confirmed leaked. Attackers threatened to release 1.5 TB of data; Kadokawa reportedly paid approximately $3 million ransom. Niconico was offline for nearly two months; Kadokawa’s stock dropped 20%+ following the attack. Publishing operations, e-book distribution, and the Kadokawa Umbrella shop were disrupted.
Technical Details
- Initial Attack Vector
- Phishing email compromised an employee account, leading to BlackSuit ransomware deployment across Kadokawa corporate infrastructure and Niconico video-sharing platform
- Malware Family
- BlackSuit
Timeline
- 2024-06-08 Breach occurred
- 2024-06-14 Publicly disclosed
- 2024-07-01 Customers notified