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NHK Report: Toei Animation Hack Was Ransomware Attack

NHK reported on Thursday that according to its sources at Toei Animation, the Toei Animation hack last month was a ransomware attack. NHK quoted a company source as saying, "the impact on production is still continuing, and we are working hard to bring things back to normal."

Toei Animation added it is still investigating the details of the attack, and stated it is not sure if it can completely restore what was lost in the attack. NHK added the ransomware attack is still affecting the production of the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film.

A ransomware attack is a form of malware attack that restricts access to data on a company's internal servers until a ransom is paid. Ransomware attacks disrupted meat production and gasoline distribution in the U.S. in 2021, and also hit Diamond Comic Distributors last year.

Toei Animation announced on March 11 that on March 6, an unauthorized third party accessed the company's network, which resulted in a shutdown of part of the company's systems. Toei Animation is currently investigating the matter. The hack affected the broadcast schedules for the One Piece, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Delicious Party Precure, and Digimon Ghost Game anime starting with the episodes slated to air on the weekend of March 12-13. All four shows will resume airing new episodes with the weekend of April 16-17.

Toei delayed Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the second anime film in the Dragon Ball Super franchise, from its original April 22 opening in Japan. The film currently has no set debut date.

Source: NHK via Hachima Kikō, Crunchyroll