Some 607 Japanese entities, including staffing firm Recruit Holdings Co., were targeted by cyberattackers exploiting technological vulnerabilities due to increased levels of remote work amid the pandemic, the Kyodo News reports. A spokesperson for Recruit said the company cannot confirm the attack but said there was no damage and updates of the system have now been put in place. The attack impacted clients of a virtual private network service provided by US-based Fortinet Inc. Separately, training and education firm K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) announced Monday that it was the target of a ransomware attack.
K12 said it took steps to contain the threat and lock down impacted systems, notified federal law enforcement and is working with a third-party forensics team to investigate and assist with the incident. The company said the attack did not affect its Learning Management System used to deliver content to students. Some back-office information was accessed by the attackers.
K12 also said it made a payment to the attacker and is working with its cyber insurance provider.
The company is in the process of rebranding to Stride Inc. with the change to take effect on Dec. 16. Earlier this year, K12 acquired Galvanize Inc., an IT training provider that operates full-time and part-time online bootcamps.