Nissan alerts 21,000 customers in Japan after Red Hat-linked data leak

Nissan has warned customers about potential fraud risks after a data leak tied to a cyberattack on the US IT company Red Hat. The incident compromised information on roughly 21,000 clients of the Japanese dealer unit Nissan Fukuoka Sales Co.

The attack occurred at the end of September and struck Red Hat’s infrastructure, which had previously developed a customer management system for one of Nissan’s divisions. Hackers accessed several hundred gigabytes from private repositories. Among the stolen data were names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and sales-related records. Financial details and payment card information were not affected.

Nissan said it was notified of the breach on October 3. At this stage, there are no signs that the data has been used for criminal purposes. Even so, the company advised customers to treat unexpected calls, messages, and emails with caution, especially if they appear to come from the brand.

Preliminary assessments indicate the leak affected only customers in Japan, with Nissan owners in other countries remaining untouched. The company plans to tighten oversight of contractors and reinforce information security measures. The episode serves as a reminder that modern vehicles and the services around them demand careful protection of personal data—and that outside vendors can become a weak link if vigilance wavers.