The BlackCat ransomware group, also known as ALPHV, has claimed responsibility for a recent cyberattack on watchmaker Seiko. The attack resulted in the theft of sensitive data from the company. Seiko had previously disclosed the unauthorized access to its IT infrastructure.
BlackCat has added Seiko to its extortion site and shared samples of the stolen data. The data appears to include production plans, employee passport scans, new model release plans, specialized lab test results, technical schematics, and watch designs—valuable information that could benefit competitors and copycats.
Researchers also discovered that an Initial Access Broker (IAB) had advertised access to a major Japanese manufacturing company with a revenue figure matching that of Seiko. The ad was posted just one day before Seiko reported the breach.
Seiko, a prominent watchmaker with around 12,000 employees, has apologized to potentially affected customers and advised them to exercise caution when receiving messages purportedly from the company.
