Japanese publisher Kadokawa Corporation has urged internet users not to spread information suspected to have been stolen from its group's websites by a cyberattack. It added that it may take legal action against malicious cases.
The company says multiple websites of its group are experiencing service outages after servers at its data center were hit last month by a major cyberattack, including ransomware.
A hacking group claiming to have attacked the publisher has released the stolen data on the dark web. It has been confirmed that the leaked data includes personal details of the company's employees, as well as information related to students of a school run by Kadokawa and creators using its services.
The publisher noted that the leaked personal data appears to be going viral on anonymous bulletin boards and social media platforms. It warned that spreading such information could cause further damage, affect numerous people's lives and activities, as well as inspire similar crimes.
Kadokawa added that once it has identified such leaked information, it is asking website managers or platform operators to delete it. The publisher is also calling on people to inform it if they find their data is going viral, via a dedicated form on its website.