Nikki-Universal confirms ransomware attack on its servers

Nikki-Universal Co., Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer of catalysts used in petrochemical processing and environmental purification, announced on December 27, 2024 that electronic data on some of its servers had been encrypted in a ransomware attack.

The company dated the incident to December 22, 2024 and said information may have been leaked. It began emergency work to contain the damage, engaged outside specialists to establish the scope of the intrusion, consulted police, and reported the matter to Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission.

The Hunters International ransomware group subsequently claimed the attack and listed Nikki-Universal on its leak site, saying it held 761.8 GB of data across 476,342 files and setting a publication deadline of January 10, 2025. Those figures came from the attackers and were not confirmed by the company.

In a later disclosure reported by Security NEXT, Nikki-Universal said the information involved included business partner names, individual names and corporate email addresses. Rather than attempt to recover the affected environment, the company rebuilt its infrastructure, and it said business operations had since returned to normal.