Hoya Operations Disrupted: Systems Outage Under Investigation

Hoya Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of eyeglass lenses, medical endoscopes, and other optical equipment, experienced a significant disruption in its IT systems, affecting the production capabilities and order system for some of its products.

Based in Tokyo, the company identified the incident in its overseas office on March 30 and promptly engaged external cybersecurity experts. Preliminary findings suggest unauthorized access to the servers by third parties.

Upon discovering the breach, Hoya immediately isolated the affected servers and reported the incident to the relevant authorities in the countries where the impacted manufacturing facilities are located. The nature of the incident and the potential use of ransomware remain undisclosed by the company at this time.

It is noteworthy that Hoya has encountered similar attacks in the past, in 2021 and 2019. One of these led to the theft of 300GB of confidential information, while another resulted in a three-day suspension of the company’s plant in Thailand.

The company, employing over 36,000 staff in more than 30 countries and regions, reported revenue of approximately $5.5 billion for the year 2023. Hoya is now exerting all efforts to meet customer demands and minimize the adverse impact on them as much as possible. However, it remains unclear whether the breach compromised any confidential or personal information.

The impact of this incident on the company’s business performance is yet to be determined, but Hoya promises to promptly communicate any consequences as soon as they become known.

It is important to note that Hoya is not the only Japanese company to face a cyberattack over the last year. Fujitsu, Japan Aviation Electronics, Seiko, Casio, YKK, and Eisai have also fallen victim to hackers recently, highlighting the growing threat of cybersecurity for major businesses in Japan.