Executive Summary
Nissan Oceania recently provided an update on the data breach that occurred due to a cyberattack by the Akira ransomware operation in December 2023.
In this update, the company confirmed that the breach affected approximately 100,000 individuals. The breach led to the exposure of sensitive information, such as government identification and personal details of customers and employees.
Nissan has initiated extensive support for the affected individuals, including offering identity protection and credit monitoring services. The company is also actively collaborating with cybersecurity experts to strengthen its defenses against future attacks.
Cyberattack Timeline
- Early December 2023: Nissan Oceania detected a cyberattack on its IT servers and initiated an investigation. For initial information on this incident, please refer to our first news article on this subject.
- Mid-December 2023: The Akira ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging the theft of 100GB of data, including sensitive personal information. Please refer to our second news article for more details about Akira’s claim.
- March 13, 2024: Nissan Oceania confirmed the extent of the data breach, explained the type of data affected, and announced measures to assist those impacted. Below is a summary of the update from Nissan dated March 13.
Nissan’s Update on March 13
On March 13, Nissan Oceania provided an important update regarding the Nissan data breach. The company confirmed unauthorized access to its IT servers on December 5, 2023, affecting customers, dealers, and current and former employees. The breach compromised personal information, including approximately 4,000 Medicare cards, 7,500 driver’s licenses, 220 passports, and 1,300 tax file numbers.
Nissan Oceania is in the process of notifying approximately 100,000 individuals, with efforts to validate contact details and remove duplicates underway.
To assist those impacted, Nissan Oceania has partnered with IDCARE for identity and cyber support and offers free credit monitoring services through Equifax in Australia and Centrix in New Zealand.
To assist those impacted, Nissan Oceania has formed a partnership with IDCARE. This partnership focuses on identity and cyber support. Also, they offer free credit monitoring services through Equifax in Australia and Centrix in New Zealand.
Additionally, the company will reimburse the costs for the replacement of compromised government IDs.
Finally, Nissan advises customers to remain vigilant for scams, update passwords regularly, and enable multi-factor authentication to safeguard against identity theft.
