Japanese multinational conglomerate Fujifilm has been forced to shut down parts of its global network after falling victim to a suspected ransomware attack.

Fujifilm becomes the latest victim of a network-crippling ransomware attack

The company, which is best known for its digital imaging products but also produces high-tech medical kit, including devices for rapid processing of COVID-19 tests, confirmed that its Tokyo headquarters was hit by a cyberattack on Tuesday evening.

“Fujifilm Corporation is currently carrying out an investigation into possible unauthorized access to its server from outside of the company. As part of this investigation, the network is partially shut down and disconnected from external correspondence,” the company said in a statement posted to its website.

“We want to state what we understand as of now and the measures that the company has taken. In the late evening of June 1, 2021, we became aware of the possibility of a ransomware attack. As a result, we have taken measures to suspend all affected systems in coordination with our various global entities.

“We are currently working to determine the extent and the scale of the issue. We sincerely apologize to our customers and business partners for the inconvenience this has caused.”

As a result of the partial network shutdown, Fujifilm USA added a notice to its website stating that it is currently experiencing problems affecting all forms of communications, including emails and incoming calls. In an earlier statement, Fujifilm confirmed that the cyberattack is also preventing the company from accepting and processing orders.

Fujifilm has yet to respond to our request for comment.

While Fujifilm is keeping tight-lipped on further details, such as the identity of the ransomware used in the attack, Bleeping Computer reports that the company’s servers have been infected by Qbot. Advanced Intel CEO Vitali Kremez told the publication that the company’s systems were hit by the 13-year-old Trojan, typically initiated by phishing, last month.

The creators of Qbot, also known as QakBot or QuakBot, have a long history of partnering with ransomware operators. It previously worked with the ProLock and Egregor ransomware gangs, but is currently said to be linked with the notorious REvil group.

“Initial forensic analysis suggests that the ransomware attack on Fujifilm started with a Qbot trojan infection last month, which gave hackers a foothold in the company’s systems with which to deliver the secondary ransomware payload,” Ray Walsh, digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy, told TechCrunch. “Most recently, the Qbot trojan has been actively exploited by the REvil hacking collective, and it seems highly plausible that the Russian-based hackers are behind this cyberattack.”

REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, not only encrypts a victim’s files but also exfiltrates data from their network. The hackers typically threaten to publish the victim’s files if their ransom isn’t paid. But a site on the dark web used by REvil to publicize stolen data appeared offline at the time of writing.

Ransomware attacks have been on the rise since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so much so that they have become the biggest single money earner for cybercriminals. Threat hunting and cyber intelligence firm Group-IB estimates that the number of ransomware attacks grew by more than 150% in 2020, and that the average ransom demand increased more than twofold to $170,000.

At the time of writing, it’s unclear whether Fujifilm has paid any ransom to the hackers responsible for the attack on its systems.