Japan's biggest dating app hit by major cyberattack

Data Breach
Image Credit: Shutterstock (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Popular Japanese dating app Omiai has reportedly been hacked, with the personally identifiable data of almost two million users most likely exposed.

According to reports the company that runs the app - Net Marketing Co - has notified the public of multiple unauthorized incursions into its servers during April this year.

During those incursions, the (still unknown) attackers made away with user names, photographs, as well as data from ID cards, driver’s licenses and passports, which were mandatory during registration, for KYC (know your customer) purposes.

No payment or credit card data were compromised, the company confirmed.

While the service is free for women, it’s not free for men. In order to register and use the service, men need to pay for one of its subscription plans, which start at roughly $40 a month.

Omiai breac

According to multiple media reports, the app has between five and seven million users and has facilitated more than 50 million successful matches so far. It focuses on trying to offer its customers an opportunity of a long-term relationship, rather than a short-term fling or a one-night stand.

Net Marketing Co says it still hasn’t found any proof of the stolen data being used in the wild, or in the black market. However, if Ashley Madison is any indication, the worst is yet to come.

Ashley Madison is a dating app used for extramarital affairs, that was breached in 2015. The data that was leaked online was believed to have been used against multiple individuals as extortion leverage, leading to at least two suicides.

The news of the breach was also felt on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, where the company’s listed. Bloomberg said the value of Net Marketing’s shares fell 19% at market close on Monday - the biggest drop since the company got listed in 2017. Net Marketing Co is valued at approximately $70 million.

Via: Bloomberg

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

Read more
Dating App
Data breach at Senior Dating website spills info of 765,000 users
How to prevent cyberattacks
NTT admits hackers accessed details of almost 18,000 corporate customers in cyberattack
Stalkerware
New spyware found to be snooping on thousands of Android and iOS users
Someone holding a passport with two boarding passes inside it
Top digital loan firm security slip-up puts data of 36 million users at risk
Cartoon Phishing
One of the largest data leaks ever sees info on 1.5 billion people leaked online
Security padlock and circuit board to protect data
Mexican fintech company Miio exposed millions of files of sensitive customer data
Latest in Security
healthcare
Software bug meant NHS information was potentially “vulnerable to hackers”
A hacker wearing a hoodie sitting at a computer, his face hidden.
Experts warn this critical PHP vulnerability could be set to become a global problem
botnet
YouTubers targeted by blackmail campaign to promote malware on their channels
A close-up of a phone screen showing the Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp apps
Agentic AI has “profound” issues with security and privacy, Signal President says
botnet
Another top security camera maker is seeing devices hijacked into botnet
Bluetooth
Top Bluetooth chip security flaw could put a billion devices at risk worldwide
Latest in News
Lego Mario Kart – Mario & Standard Kart set on a shelf.
Lego just celebrated Mario Day in the best way possible, with an incredible Mario Kart set that's up for preorder now
TCL QM7K TV on orange background
TCL’s big, bright new mid-range mini-LED TVs have built-in Bang & Olufsen sound
Homepage of Manus, a new Chinese artificial intelligence agent capable of handling complex, real-world tasks, is seen on the screen of an iPhone.
Manus AI may be the new DeepSeek, but initial users report problems
Google Maps
Nightmare Google Maps glitch is deleting timelines, and there isn't a fix yet
Twitter social media application change logo to X. Elon Musk CEO of twitter rebranded Twitter to 'X'. Social media application technology concept.
X is down again – Elon Musk confirms 'massive cyberattack' as former Twitter site hit by fourth outage today
Joe Goldberg and Kate Lockwood sitting at a table and looking at the camera in You season 5.
Netflix releases a killer new trailer for You season 5 but my favorite character is missing from Joe's final chapter