Fujifilm Ransomware Attack: Refuses to Pay Hackers
Fujifilm announced on June 4th that they had suffered a ransomware attack on June 1st that disrupted its business operations. This attack only affected the Japanese network. As a result, this attack prevented access to Fujifilm’s email, billing, and reporting systems.
To protect the rest of the company’s sensitive data, Fujifilm shut down its systems in the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Once Fujifilm understood the extent of the attack, these systems were safely back up and running as usual.
The fact that this ransomware attack happened was a huge story. An even bigger story was Fujifilm’s refusal to pay the ransom.
A spokesperson for Fujifilm told The Verdict, “Fujifilm Corporation in Tokyo does not comment on the demand but I can confirm we have not paid any ransom.” The same spokesperson added, “Fujifilm does have backups in place as a part of its normal operation procedure aligned with its policy.”
With these backups in tow, Fujifilm restored their Japanese servers, network, and computers to regular operations within just two weeks after the attack on the 1st of June.
Many other companies in Fujifilm’s position feel pressured to pay the ransom for two main reasons:
- They don’t have complete or up-to-date backups unaffected by their attacks, or
- The hackers stole sensitive data while in the network and have threatened to release it to the public.
But, this is what makes cybersecurity attacks so terrifying.
What Fujifilm Had To Say
According to The Verdict, Jake Moore, an ESET cybersecurity specialist, commented that refusing to pay a ransom is “not a decision to be taken lightly.” Fujifilm Europe has also said that they are “highly confident that no loss, destruction, alteration, unauthorized use or disclosure of our data, or our customers’ data, on Fujifilm Europe’s systems has been detected.” This explains Fujifilm’s decision to not pay the ransom. Further, it remains to be seen if the hackers were able to extract any sensitive data from Fujifilm’s Japanese network.
Cybersecurity experts, as well as law enforcement agencies, often warn against paying the ransom. These reasons are three-fold:
- You cannot guarantee that the data will be restored,
- You have no reason to trust that the hackers have not corrupted or copied the data anyway, and
- There is no guarantee that the sensitive data will not be released in the future.
Learn From Fujifilm's Ransomware Attack
Best practices you should consider include:
- Have offline and offsite data backups so you can quickly restore your network.
- Prompt patching and updating of critical systems.
- Segmented networks to help stop the spread of ransomware/malware through the network.
- Cyber awareness training for all staff.
QuickProtect Can Help
If you want to learn more about how to protect yourself from ransomware, and to avoid having to make a ransomware payment, contact Quick Protect today.
