Privacy
Nikkei breach exposes over 1.8 million records after cloud account hack
Hackers accessed a Nikkei cloud service using stolen credentials, exposing over 1.8 million records. Some personal data was leaked, but no financial information was involved.
Ross GrantUpdated 2 min read
The short version
Hackers broke into a Nikkei cloud account using stolen login details. They accessed over 1.8 million records, including some with names and contact information. Nikkei says no credit card or financial data was leaked. The company is telling affected people and has blocked the stolen credentials.
By the numbers
- 1.83 millionrecords exposed in the breachSecurity Affairs
- 150,000records included personal informationSecurity Affairs
- 120,000records included an email addressSecurity Affairs
What happened?
Hackers accessed a Nikkei cloud service using stolen credentials on 7 October 2026, exposing over 1.8 million records. About 150,000 records included personal information such as names and email addresses. Nikkei reported the breach to Japanese authorities and is notifying affected individuals. No financial data was involved.
Who is affected
Nikkei, a major Japanese media company known for publications like The Nikkei and the Financial Times, reported that over 1.8 million records were exposed in a recent breach. According to Nikkei's official statement, about 150,000 of these records included personal information such as names, email addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers or dates of birth. Of those, roughly 120,000 contained an email address. The remaining 1.68 million records included information that cannot identify individuals. No credit card or financial data was involved. Nikkei has said it will notify everyone whose personal information was exposed.Security Affairs (opens in a new tab)
How the attack worked
On the morning of 7 October 2026, attackers used previously stolen login credentials to access a cloud service Nikkei uses for system development. The company did not say how the credentials were stolen, but once inside, the attackers were able to access and leak data. Nikkei blocked the stolen credentials after discovering the breach. As of 16 October, the company had found no evidence of further misuse, system outages or data changes.
What was taken
The breach exposed approximately 1.83 million items of information. About 150,000 records included one or more pieces of personal data: name, email address, postal address, phone number or date of birth. Of these, about 120,000 included an email address. The vast majority, about 1.68 million records, contained only non-identifying information. Nikkei confirmed that no credit card or financial information was leaked.
The response
Nikkei reported the breach to Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission on 11 October. The company apologised for the incident and is still investigating the full scope of the breach. Nikkei has stated it will contact all affected individuals. As of the latest update, there is no sign that the leaked data has been misused.
Has this happened before?
Nikkei has faced other security incidents in recent years. In May 2022, it disclosed a ransomware attack. In November 2025, the company reported a data breach caused by a compromised Slack account.Security Affairs (opens in a new tab)
Why it matters
This breach shows how stolen credentials can give attackers access to sensitive company data. Even when most records are not highly personal, breaches can still affect many people and damage trust. It highlights the importance of securing cloud accounts and monitoring for unauthorised access.
Key points
- Hackers used stolen credentials to access a Nikkei cloud service.
- Over 1.8 million records were exposed, including 150,000 with personal data.
- No financial or credit card information was leaked.
- Nikkei reported the breach to Japanese regulators and is notifying affected people.
- The company has blocked the compromised credentials and found no evidence of further misuse.
Sources
Security Affairs
Reference
- Nikkei data breach affected over 1.8 million records (opens in a new tab)
securityaffairs.com
- Nikkei data breach affected over 1.8 million records (opens in a new tab)
