Toyota Financial Services Data Breach 2023 | German Customers Affected

Toyota Financial Services (TFS), the financial arm of Toyota Motor Corporation, has suffered a data breach exposing sensitive personal and financial information of its customers.

The breach, which was publicly announced on December 11th, 2023, is believed to be the work of the Medusa ransomware gang.

Toyota Financial Services Data Breach

Here’s what we know so far:

• In November 2023, Medusa Ransomware, a notorious cybercrime group, targeted Toyota Financial Services Europe & Africa.
• The group claimed to have stolen a vast amount of data, including:
  • Personal information
  • Financial documents and spreadsheets
  • Purchase invoices
  • IBAN (International Bank Account Number)
  • Hashed account passwords and cleartext user IDs and passwords
  • Agreements, passport scans, and internal organization charts
  • Financial performance reports, staff email addresses, and more
• Toyota refused to pay the ransom demand of $8 million, prompting Medusa to leak the stolen data on its website.

Not the First Cybersecurity Incident

This incident is not the first time Toyota has faced cybersecurity issues. In 2022, the company experienced a potential data leak due to source code exposure on GitHub.

Earlier this year, a cyber attack disrupted vehicle production, and a significant customer data leak affected regions in Oceania and Asia.

Additional information

• The Medusa ransomware gang claimed responsibility for the attack on November 17th, 2023, demanding a ransom payment of $8 million to delete the stolen data and setting a 10-day deadline for response.
• The group published a sample of the stolen data as proof of the hack, which appeared to be in Toyota Kreditbank GmbH, suggesting the breach originated in Germany.
• Cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont identified the “Citrix Bleed” vulnerability in some of TFS’s online systems. This vulnerability, disclosed in November 2023, has already impacted numerous major companies and government agencies.
• The stolen data has now been published on the Medusa group’s Tor leak site.
• The data breach highlights the growing threat of ransomware attacks and the importance of cybersecurity preparedness for businesses and individuals alike.

Customer Data Affected

While the full extent of the breach is still under investigation, it is believed that customers of TFS in Europe and Africa are potentially impacted.

• German customers have been confirmed to be affected, with other regions potentially at risk. Those were the first to be notified of the data breach.
• Personal information such as names, addresses, contact information, and financial details may have been compromised.
• Toyota is still investigating the scope of the breach, but they believe only German customer data is affected.
• Other customers are advised to remain vigilant and monitor their accounts for any suspicious activity.

What Toyota is Doing

• Toyota is investigating the incident to determine the extent of the breach and identify any additional data that may be compromised.
• The company has also hired a leading cybersecurity firm to assess the damage and mitigate the risks.
• Notifications are being sent to affected customers, informing them of the compromised data and offering recommendations.
• Toyota is also taking steps to strengthen its cybersecurity defenses to prevent future attacks.