THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 31, 2025 at 17:30 JST
Askul Corp.’s website informs customers about a system failure. (Captured from Askul Corp.’s website)
A hacker group calling itself RansomHouse claimed responsibility for the cyberattack that crippled the operations of office supply e-commerce giant Askul Corp. and downloaded 1.1 terabytes of data, sources said Oct. 30.
The group said in a statement it had posted the stolen information on the “dark web,” making it difficult to identify the uploader, the sources said.
Some of the data reportedly included customer information.
“We are aware of the claim of responsibility, but we are currently investigating the facts,” an Askul representative said.
Askul on Oct. 19 announced that its online system had been infected with ransomeware, leading to disruptions and forcing the company to suspend operations for orders and shipping.
On Oct. 29, Askul said it was using manual operations for orders and shipping involving medical institutions and care facilities.
The company also said it brought in about 30 engineers from its parent company, LY Corp., and external cyber security firms to its Tokyo headquarters. They are working alongside roughly 100 of Askul’s own engineers to restore the system.
Trend Micro Inc., a cyber security giant, has monitored several crime groups, including RansomHouse.
According to the company, RansomHouse was active as early as December 2021.
From January to September this year, data was leaked from more than 5,000 organizations, according to Trend Micro.
RansomHouse reportedly claimed responsibility for leaking information from 19 of these organizations.
The most active cybercrime group over this period was Qilin, which claimed responsibility for the attack on beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. and for leaked information at 545 organizations, according to Trend Micro.
(This article was written by Ryo Sanada and Kohei Higashitani.)
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