Hackers release data after GMO ignores ransom demand | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - NHKニュース

A hacker group has released what it claims is personal customer information after GMO Internet Group ignored a deadline to pay a 1-million dollar ransom.

GMO said last week that its cloud servers mostly used for currency trading had been breached by unauthorized parties.

It said illicit transactions had taken place on some customer accounts.

The hacker group claiming responsibility for the attack had demanded payment by noon on Tuesday, Japan time.

It has threatened to publicly release customer details every day at noon if it isn't paid.

GMO told NHK on Tuesday that it would not comply with the demand and is working with the police and other authorities on the matter.

The authenticity of the purported GMO customer details released by the hacker group has not been confirmed.

Customers of GMO are increasingly concerned over illicit use of their leaked personal data.

One woman says she lost about 1.8 million yen, or more than 11,000 dollars, due to repeated unauthorized transactions in the space of two days last week. She says her losses are still mounting.

The woman is worried about further losses as the hackers are also threatening to encrypt devices of GMO customers.

She says: "I'm just an amateur, while they're a group of hackers who are incredibly knowledgeable about networks. So I'm worried that they could easily bypass the measures I've taken."

The victim says she has backed up data and reset her computer. She says she has also changed passwords for a number of accounts.

She says: "I'm just doing what the company advises me. But I'm worried if that's really enough to be safe. It's scary."

The woman says she is in a state of constant anxiety as the hacker group says it will send her browsing history and other data to her relatives and acquaintances.

She says she hopes GMO will explain exactly what happened and what the situation is now.