Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 1 hr ago
Sony internet service breach exposes about 2.58 million customers’ data
Sony Group subsidiary Sony Network Communications disclosed a data breach affecting its internet services in Japan.
The company said an unauthorised party accessed the So-net member database on October 19, and it confirmed the breach on October 23.
About 2.58 million current and former customer records were exposed across So-net and plala services, including names, contact details and other personal information.
Sixteen records included bank names and account numbers, and 54,401 email addresses and email passwords were also exposed.
The company said it has not confirmed any credit card data leak or resulting harm, and it reset the affected email passwords on October 27.
The affected servers were stopped and access was blocked, while the cause remains under investigation; internet services continue to operate.
Customers are being urged to reset their email passwords and watch for suspicious messages that use leaked information.
Sony Network Communications said an unauthorized access incident exposed about 2.58 million customer records from its So-net and plala services.
The company reported that the exposed information included names, contact details and, in some cases, bank account information.
The reports differ slightly on the total: one says about 2.59 million records, while the other says about 2.58 million.
Sixteen sets of bank account information were exposed, and no credit card data leakage was confirmed.
The company said it was investigating the cause and had stopped the affected server.
- Who
- Sony Network Communications, a Sony Group company, and customers of its So-net and plala services.
- What
- Unauthorized access exposed customer information, including 16 sets of bank account details.
- When
- The database was accessed on October 19, 2026; the company announced the breach on October 27.
- Where
- The affected database was for the company’s internet services. A specific location is not stated.
- Why
- The cause of the unauthorized access is under investigation.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The So-net member database was accessed without authorization.
The company confirmed unauthorized access and stopped the affected server.
The company confirmed that personal information had been leaked.
Sony Network Communications announced the incident and said it had reset exposed email-service passwords.
- Affected services
- So-net and plala
- Exposed records
- About 2.58 million according to Nikkei; about 2.59 million according to Yahoo! News
- Bank account information
- 16 sets, including bank names and account numbers
- Email credentials
- 54,401 email addresses and email passwords
- Credit card data
- No leakage confirmed
- Announcement
- October 27, 2026
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We deeply apologize. We take this incident seriously and will continue investigating the cause while reviewing our security measures and information management systems.