100GB of Secrets Seized: Akira Claims Responsibility for Nissan Cyberattack

The ransomware group Akira has declared responsibility for the recent cyberattack on the systems of Nissan in Australia and New Zealand. The hackers claim to have exfiltrated over 100 GB of documents from the automaker.

Now, the malefactors are threatening to release confidential business and client data online, as negotiations with Nissan regarding a ransom have been unsuccessful—either due to the company’s refusal to engage with the hackers or its unwillingness to pay the demanded sum.

“They seem not to be very interested in the data, so we will upload it for you within a few days,” the group announced. “You will find docs with personal information of their employees in the archives and much other interested stuff like NDAs, projects, information about clients and partners etc.”

Recall that the attack on the regional division of the Japanese automaker, which handles distribution, marketing, sales, and customer service in Australia and New Zealand, was first reported in early December 2023.

Initially, little information was disclosed about the incident, but Nissan has since provided updated details. According to company representatives, Nissan is still investigating the incident to determine whether the attackers accessed any personal data. Moreover, the company continues to work on restoring the affected systems.

“The Nissan Motor Corporation and Nissan Financial Services in Australia and New Zealand (“Nissan”) is investigating a cyber incident that has impacted our systems. We can now confirm that an unauthorised third party illegally accessed some of the company’s network systems in Australia and New Zealand. We are working urgently with our global incident response team and cyber forensic experts to understand what information was impacted,” Nissan said.