NOTICE: If you were employed by Canon U.S.A., Inc. between 2005 to 2020 and received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777.
On November 25, 2020, Canon U.S.A., Inc. (Canon) publicly confirmed a ransomware security incident involving unauthorized activity on the company’s network between July 20 and August 6, 2020. The attack resulted in widespread system issues affecting Canon’s email, website and other internal applications.
Threat actors also stole a significant amount of personal information about current and former employees from 2005 to 2020 and their beneficiaries and dependents. Compromised data includes:
- Names
- Dates of birth
- Financial account numbers provided to Canon for direct deposit
- Electronic signatures
- Social Security numbers
- Driver license numbers or government-issued identification numbers
The cyber attacker, known as Maze, allegedly stole 10TB of data. Maze uses ransomware to compromise a computer network that spreads undetected until it gains access to an administrator account and the system’s Windows domain controller.
Maze then steals unencrypted files and uploads them to the threat actor’s servers. After the ransomware encrypts files on network devices, Maze demands a ransom to restore the data.
After Canon refused to negotiate a ransom, the hackers published a 2.2 GB archive called STRATEGICPLANNINGpart62.zip, containing approximately five percent of the files obtained during the attack.
Canon has reportedly notified law enforcement and implemented security measures to enhance the security of the company’s network. For affected employees, they are offering one year of credit monitoring service.
Canon continues to claim that the ransomware incident is unrelated to issues that impacted their image.canon website and services during the same time period.
A leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions, Canon U.S.A. is the American subsidiary of Japanese corporation Canon, Inc. The company sells and services office and consumer imaging equipment, as well as still and video digital cameras for both consumers and professionals in photography, broadcast and motion pictures. Industrial and other products include semiconductor and LCD lithography equipment, small motors, and medical equipment.
Canon U.S.A. accounts for nearly 30 percent of Canon’s global revenues of over $30 billion USD. Canon locations throughout the nation have a total of approximately 10,000 employees.
NOTICE: If you were employed by Canon U.S.A., Inc. between 2005 to 2020 and received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your situation and possibly developing legal options.