Panasonic Suffers Digital Security Breach

Consumer electronics monolith, Panasonic, endured an embarrassing digital attack in recent months. The security breach of the Japan-based electronics specialist resulted in the unauthorized access of data from a file server.

What Happened?

It appears as though a third party illegally made its way into Panasonic’s network in an attempt to pilfer data. As of the time of this publication, it is unclear the extent of the data that was improperly accessed from the breached Panasonic file server.

Panasonic’s Response

A Panasonic representative stated the company conducted an internal investigation and determined “…some data on a file server had been accessed during the intrusion.” The representative did not expand on the magnitude of the breach, likely in an attempt to minimize any potential backlash.

Panasonic is a publicly-traded company in the over-the-counter (OTC) market with a trading symbol of PCRFY. The company’s public relations representative commented on the digital breach on November 26 and has not yet provided an update. It is alarming that Panasonic representatives have not revealed the specific nature of the digital breach. Shareholders, customers , and business partners may find it bothersome that Panasonic has failed to note the specific type of data breached and the extent of the damage.

Several media outlets have noted that the digital breach started on June 22 and ended halfway through the first week of November. However, Panasonic spokesperson Dannea DeLisser recently revealed that the company did not acknowledge the attack until November 11. This indicates that Panasonic’s internal security specialists were unaware of and slow to respond to the infiltration that began during the early summer.

The Result

Panasonic representatives insist that the company took the steps necessary to report the security breach to the relevant authorities. A company spokesperson also stated they added the necessary security protocols to prevent any subsequent breaches. In particular, Panasonic’s security team implemented countermeasures to thwart new attempts to externally access its network.

Panasonic shareholders and customers will also be happy to learn the company is working closely with a forensic digital security organization to gauge the extent of this incident. This analysis will also help determine if the unauthorized access exposed customers’ sensitive personal information.

Why the Breach Matters

Panasonic’s latest digital security breach is bothersome considering that the company suffered another data breach last year when a ransomware attack crippled its India operations.

The hackers responsible for the ransomware attack leaked several gigabytes of the company’s data to the general public. This information included employee and customer email addresses in addition to highly sensitive financial information. The latest attack on Panasonic is also notable as it comes on the heels of cyberattacks levied against Japanese tech businesses, including Mitsubishi Electric, Olympus, and NEC.