Canon image site hit by ransomware

Canon, a global optics and imaging products company based in Japan, has reportedly been hit by a ransomware where data to the tune of 10 TB has been found missing on its image.canon photo storage website.

Cyber security experts feel that the attack must have been the handiwork of Maze ransomeware.

While admitting and apologising for the data loss, Canon said that it would soon update with specific geography-wise information on the loss of data and resumption of services on the site.

“We found a portion of users’ still image and video image data stored in its image.canon cloud photo platform was lost. We sincerely apologise to our customers for any inconvenience,” the firm announced on its global website.

The firm noticed the loss of data on July 30 but came out with the statement days later. “In order to conduct further review, we have temporarily suspended both the mobile application and web browser service(s) of image.canon,” the Japanese firm said.

It, however, said that there was no leak of image data, and the still image thumbnails of the affected files were not affected.

Cyber experts caution

“Following other recent high-profile attacks, this latest salvo from the Maze gang should be a wake-up call to all the enterprises that haven’t taken the time to assess their security posture and bolster their defenses against these pernicious adversaries,” John Shier, senior security advisor at cyber security solutions firm Sophos, has said.

“Many of these attacks start by exploiting external services or simple phishing campaigns. Enterprises must take the time to ensure they’ve built a strong security foundation,” he said.