Published on: June 24, 2022 
Nichirin-Flex U.S.A, a subsidiary of the Japanese car and motorcycle hose maker Nichirin, has been hit by a ransomware attack that caused the company to take its network offline.
The attack occurred on June 14 causing the company to react as soon as it detected unauthorized access on its network and moved operations into manual mode.
In an official statement (in Japanese) on Wednesday, Nichirin stated that system recovery has been prioritized in order to resume business operations. The company is currently investigating how the unauthorized access happened and is trying to determine “the effects of information leakage.”
The firm’s website also had to be taken down temporarily until experts were able to determine the extent of the ransomware attack’s impact. However, Nichirin’s website is currently back online.
In a separate notice, Nichirin warned clients and employees of the possibility of receiving emails that impersonate the firm and suggested that the ransomware attack was possible through phishing.
Ransomware actors have shown increased interest in targeting suppliers of specialized parts that are crucial in automotive production.
The hoses manufactured by Nichirin are used in brake systems, air conditioning, power steering, and various hydraulic and pneumatic systems, providing suction, return, and high-pressure solutions with high durability and excellent heat resistance.
A recent example of ransomware attacks hitting automotive industry suppliers includes the March attack on DENSO, one of the world’s largest automotive component manufacturers. DENSO was hit by the Pandora ransomware gang in this attack.
In February, Toyota Motors also had to suspend car production in 14 of its Japan-based plants due to a cyberattack on one of its key suppliers, Kojima Industries, which creates plastic components.
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