Toyota data breach exposes customer, employee info

Toyota data breach overview: 

• Who: Toyota has confirmed a data breach exposing the data of customers and employees. 
• Why: The breach was made public after a hacker group posted on a forum that it had stolen files from the automaker. 
• Where: The Toyota data breach happened in the United States.

Toyota has confirmed that sensitive customer and employee data was exposed following a data breach from a third-party vendor, with the stolen information appearing on an underground forum. 

The breach was initially reported by BleepingComputer. According to the report, a hacker group identifying themselves as ZeroSevenGroup posted to an online forum on Aug. 16 claiming to have stolen 240GB of data from a U.S. branch of Toyota. 

It said the data included employee details, financial records, customer contacts, and network credentials. 

In the forum post, the group offered to share the stolen files, which reportedly contained vast amounts of confidential information, such as database records, photos, and emails. 

The group also claimed to have used the ADRecon tool to gather data from Toyota’s Active Directory environment, Bleeping Computer reported.

Breach was ‘limited in scope,’ automaker says

While Toyota acknowledged the situation, they assured BleepingComputer that the breach affected only a third-party entity and not their primary systems. 

“We are aware of the situation. The issue is limited in scope and is not a system-wide issue,” a Toyota spokesperson said. 

However, they declined to disclose the name of the third-party vendor involved. Toyota added that they are in communication with those impacted and are prepared to offer assistance if needed.

The stolen files appear to have been created or taken around Dec. 25, 2022, indicating that hackers may have accessed a backup server. However, crucial details regarding when the breach was discovered and how many individuals were affected have not been shared. Toyota has stated that investigations are still ongoing.

Earlier this month, a group of consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. and First Element Inc. alleging Toyota pollutes the environment with its hydrogen-fueled Mirai vehicle and holds a monopoly over the hydrogen fueling market. 

What do you think of this Toyota data breach? Let us know in the comments. 

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