US branches of Japanese companies hit by ransomware

Two major Japanese corporations, Kurita Water Industries and Ito En, are reporing ransomware attacks affecting their U.S. subsidiaries.

Kurita Water Industries, a prominent water treatment company, reported that its Minnesota-based subsidiary, Kurita America, experienced a ransomware attack beginning on November 29, 2024. The attack resulted in the encryption of multiple servers and potential data exfiltration affecting customers, business partners, and employees. The affected servers were immediately disconnected from the network. Despite the incident, the company reports that its main servers have been restored and business operations remain unaffected.

Similarly, Ito En, Japan's largest green tea producer with international operations across the U.S., Australia, China, and Indonesia, confirmed that its North American subsidiary was targeted by ransomware actors on December 2, 2024. The attack affected file servers in Texas, resulting in both data encryption and theft. The company has isolated the affected servers and is currently working on restoration using pre-attack backup data. Ito En has stated that the damage was limited to file servers separate from their core system, allowing all systems, including ITO EN North America, to continue operating normally.

The amount of data stolen, the number of affected individuals and specific ransomware groups responsible are not disclosed.