On August 19, 2024, Toyota confirmed reports that the company experienced a data breach affecting personal information belonging to an unknown number of employees and customers. While Toyota has acknowledged the breach, the company’s investigation is still ongoing. However, upon completing its investigation, Toyota will likely send out data breach notification letters to anyone whose information was impacted by the recent incident.

If you receive a data breach notification from Toyota, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the Toyota data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Toyota Data Breach?

The Toyota data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, a Toyota representative has spoken to several news outlets, providing some important information on what led up to the incident.

According to these sources, Toyota recently learned that it was the victim of an apparent cyberattack. After looking into the incident, Toyota was able to confirm that there was unauthorized access but that it was “limited in scope.” A Toyota representative also told Bleeping Computer that the company is “engaged with those who are impacted and will provide assistance if needed.”

While Toyota’s investigation is ongoing and the company hasn’t yet announced what type of information was affected, the hacker group responsible for the attack claims to have obtained 240 gigabytes of data, including personal information belonging to employees and customers.

Toyota also suffered a data breach affecting the company’s European and African divisions in November; however, this incident appears to be a different breach.

While the Toyota data breach has been confirmed by the company, Toyota is still in the process of conducting its investigation. If Toyota determines that confidential consumer information was leaked, the company will be required to send out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About Toyota

Founded in 1937, Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. Toyota is listed on the London Stock Exchange, Nagoya Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Toyota employs more than 380,793 people and generates approximately $284 billion in annual revenue.