‭【NEWS RELEASE】‬‭August 5, 2024‬‭KADOKAWA CORPORATION‬‭Notice Concerning Information Leakage‬‭Caused by‬‭Ransomware Attack‬‭ KADOKAWA CORPORATION (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Chief Executive Officer: Takeshi Natsuno)‬‭expresses deep apologies for the information leakage caused by the ransomware attack on the Group and for the‬‭great concern and inconvenience caused to all stakeholders involved.‬‭ On June 8, in response to the fact that there was a failure to access multiple servers of the Group, an internal‬‭analysis and investigation was conducted as soon as possible. It was confirmed that the DWANGO Co., Ltd.‬‭dedicated file server and so on in the Group’s data center was subject to a large-scale cyberattack including‬‭ransomware, targeting a group of services centered on‬‭Niconico‬‭.‬‭ Since the time of this incident, the Group has been diligently investigating to understand the possibility of‬‭information leakage and the scope of the leaked information with the support of a major outside security firm. As a‬‭result of our investigation at this time, we have found the following. In addition, we have reported this content to the‬‭Personal Information Protection Commission in Japan.‬‭◆Information confirmed to have been leaked externally‬‭1. Personal Information Total: 254,241‬‭[External Information]‬‭●‬ ‭The following information related to DWANGO Co., Ltd.‬‭○‬ ‭Personal information (name, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address,‬‭pseudonym, bank account information, etc.) of some business partners (including creators and‬‭sole proprietors) of DWANGO Co., Ltd. and some of its affiliates‬‭○‬ ‭Personal information (name, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address, attribute‬‭information such as educational background and bank account information, personnel information‬‭such as employee number and attendance, etc.) of some former employees of DWANGO Co.,‬‭Ltd., some of its affiliated companies, and some of its sibling companies‬‭○‬ ‭Personal information (name, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address, screening‬‭history, etc.) of some people interviewed by DWANGO Co., Ltd. and some of its affiliates‬‭●‬ ‭Personal information (name, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address, attribute‬‭information such as educational background, and student information such as year of admission,‬‭homeroom teacher, next educational institution, etc.) of some of the current students, graduates,‬‭parents, applicants, and document requesters of N Progressive School, N/S High Schooles. ‬‭[Internal Information]‬‭●‬ ‭The following information related to DWANGO Co., Ltd.‬‭○‬ ‭Personal information (name, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address, attribute‬‭information such as educational background and bank account information, personnel information‬‭such as employee number and attendance, etc.) of all employees of DWANGO Co., Ltd.‬‭(including contract employees, temporary employees, and part-time employees)‬‭1‬‭○‬ P‭ ersonal information (name, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address, attribute‬‭information such as educational background and bank account information, personnel information‬‭such as employee number and attendance, etc.) of some employees of some affiliated‬‭companies and some sibling companies of DWANGO Co., Ltd.‬‭●‬ ‭Personal information (name, email address, attribute information such as bank account information,‬‭personnel information such as employee number and affiliation, etc.) of some employees of‬‭KADOKAWA DWANGO Educational Institute‬‭2. Company Information, etc.‬‭[External Information]‬‭●‬ ‭The following information related to DWANGO Co., Ltd.‬‭○‬ ‭Some contracts with some of DWANGO Co., Ltd.’s business partners‬‭○‬ ‭Some contracts of some of DWANGO Co., Ltd.’s past and current affiliates‬‭○‬ ‭Information about the company operated by some former employees of DWANGO Co., Ltd.‬‭[Internal Information]‬‭●‬ ‭Internal documents including legal affairs related to DWANGO Co., Ltd.‬‭ As previously reported, the credit card information of customers of the Group, including the‬‭Niconico‬‭service, is not‬‭supposed to be leaked from the Group because the Group does not hold the data in-house.‬‭ Regarding‬‭Niconico‬‭user account information (login‬‭email address, login password) and credit card information,‬‭information leakage from DWANGO Co., Ltd. has not been confirmed.‬‭◆Notice to Affected Parties‬‭ We will send an individual apology and notification to everyone who we have confirmed was subject to an external‬‭information leakage. In addition, we have set up a dedicated helpdesk for inquiries about this matter. Note that, for‬‭affected parties we cannot contact individually, we hereby notify you with this announcement.‬‭[Dedicated Helpdesk for Inquiries About Information Leakage*]‬‭●‬ F‭ or creators, business partners, and users only‬‭https://kdq.jp/dwic‬‭●‬ F‭ or current students, graduates, parents, applicants, document requesters, employees, and former‬‭employees of KADOKAWA DWANGO Educational Institute only‬‭https://f.msgs.jp/webapp/form/18843_twbb_114/index.do‬‭●‬ F‭ or affected parties of the information leakage (retirees, job seekers) due to the information leakage only‬‭https://kdq.jp/dwhc‬‭*Japanese only‬‭ If your information is publicly available, please contact one of the above helpdesks. We apologize for the‬‭inconvenience, but when you contact us, please be specific about where you saw the information, what information‬‭was disclosed, and how it was disclosed. Based on the information provided, we will submit a deletion request to‬‭each platform. However, there are many cases where immediate deletion is not possible, so, while we are very sorry‬‭for the concern, we ask that you also submit a deletion application yourself.‬‭2‬‭ Your personal information may also be misused to send you junk emails, such as phishing, spam, or fraudulent‬‭emails. Please be very careful if you receive any suspicious emails.‬‭◆Cause and Countermeasures‬‭According to an investigation by a major outside security firm, the route and method are unknown at this‬‭time, but it is presumed that the root cause of this incident is that the account information of employees was stolen‬‭due to an attack such as phishing. The stolen account information led to a breach of our internal network, leading to‬‭the execution of ransomware and the disclosure of personal information.‬‭ The Group has always attached importance to information security and has taken measures, but we were not able‬‭to prevent this incident. This fact will be taken seriously, and we will take further measures to prevent recurrence,‬‭while receiving advice and checks from major outside security firm.‬‭◆Impact on business performance‬‭ he impact of this matter on KADOKAWA Group's business performance in the current fiscal year is currently under‬T‭investigation. KADOKAWA will make an announcement promptly if any matter that should be disclosed arises.‬‭◆Possibility of secondary damage or the risk of secondary damage and its content‬‭ The dissemination of information on anonymous bulletin boards and social media has been confirmed as having‬‭been disclosed by the organizations that allegedly carry out cyberattacks. The Group is strengthening the measures‬‭taken by the cross-sectional countermeasures team of KADOKAWA Corporation, DWANGO Co., Ltd., and‬
‭KADOKAWA DWANGO Educational Institute against those who disseminate information.‬‭ At present, after consultation with lawyers, based on patrol monitoring and information provision on social media,‬‭anonymous bulletin boards, and various curation sites, we have identified posts that we believe fall under acts of‬‭malicious information dissemination, and we are vigorously promoting deletion requests and information disclosure‬‭requests for these posts through applications to operators. We are also working with the police to address spam and‬‭other disturbances. We report the current progress below.‬‭ The Group will take strict measures to minimize secondary damage to all those involved and to protect their rights‬‭and interests, including privacy.‬‭1.‬ ‭Number of cases of acts of information dissemination recognized as malicious (as of August 2)‬‭●‬ D‭ WANGO Co., Ltd.:‬‭896 cases‬‭[Breakdown] X (formerly Twitter): 160 cases / 5ch: 522 cases / Curation site: 29 cases / Discord/Other: 185‬‭cases‬‭●‬ K‭ ADOKAWA DWANGO Educational Institute:‬‭67 cases‬‭[Breakdown] X (formerly Twitter): 11 case / 5ch: 45 cases / Curation site: 1 case / Others: 10 cases‬‭2.‬ ‭Deletion Requests and Information Disclosure Requests‬‭The Group is advancing the following responses to these malicious acts of information dissemination.‬‭●‬ D‭ eletion Requests‬‭ We are requesting the operators of social media and anonymous bulletin boards to delete posts that we‬‭recognize as malicious. We have already confirmed the deletion of several posts.‬‭●‬ R‭ equests for Originator Information Disclosure‬‭ We have initiated requests for originator information disclosure to the operators of social media and‬‭anonymous bulletin boards for originators who have published posts that we recognize as malicious. Based‬‭on this, we are preparing to take strict legal action against the identified originators.‬‭3‬‭3.‬ ‭Criminal Prosecution and Criminal Charges‬‭ For highly malicious information disseminators, after preserving the evidence, we are working toward legal‬‭action such as criminal prosecution and criminal charges, including for deleted posts.‬‭◆Warning regarding the dissemination of leaked information, etc.‬‭ Any unauthorized dissemination of other people’s personal information can result in legal penalties. Also, such‬‭actions will exacerbate the damage of information leakage, which may not only have a serious impact on the lives‬‭and business activities of many people, but may also lead to an increase in similar crimes in the future. In addition to‬‭confirming acts of disseminating leaked information, we have also confirmed threatening posts to the parties involved‬‭in this case, which may cause even more serious damage. It is also illegal to disseminate fake information or‬‭slander. Please refrain from these activities.‬‭ KADOKAWA reiterates its deepest apologies to our customers and all those concerned for the considerable‬‭concern and trouble this matter has caused.‬‭ The Group takes a resolute stance against fraudulent acts such as malicious dissemination of information, and will‬‭continue to do its utmost to protect the privacy and safety of those involved. In addition, we will take this situation‬‭seriously, investigate the causes, further strengthen the security system, and make every effort to prevent‬‭recurrence.‬‭End of document‬‭For media inquiries, please contact:‬‭Investor and Public Relations Division, KADOKAWA CORPORATION‬‭Email: pr-dept@kadokawa.jp‬‭4‬