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Sony Network Communications says attackers accessed a database holding 2,585,481 customer records tied to So-net and plala (S Course).
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The leak includes personal details, 54,401 email and password pairs, and 16 sets of bank account information.
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Sony shut down the affected server, reset the email passwords, and started an investigation.
Sony Network Communications has confirmed a serious data breach. Attackers got into a database linked to its So-net internet service and plala (S Course).
According to the company’s official notice, the database held 2,585,481 customer records. Many of these records contain personal details. Some also contain email passwords and bank account information. Sony says it has blocked the attackers, but its investigation is still going.
Sony confirms attackers entered So-net member database
Sony published its notice on October 27, 2026. The company said attackers gained unauthorized access to its So-net member database on October 19. Sony discovered the access on October 23, four days after it began.
Sony then shut down the affected server. It also blocked all communication from the unauthorized source. An investigation on October 24 confirmed that personal information had leaked. The company reported the incident to Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission. Sony said it is still studying the cause and the full size of the breach.
The company shared a detailed count of the records. It found 2,141,986 So-net member records. Another 443,495 records belong to plala (S Course) customers. Together, they add up to 2,585,481 records. The affected group includes current customers. It also includes people who canceled their subscriptions from March 2026 onward.
According to the company’s disclosure, the leaked details include names, telephone numbers, and email addresses. User IDs, dates of birth, and gender also appear on the list. So do internet connection IDs. Sony said it found no evidence that passwords for the main membership accounts leaked.
Email passwords and bank details appear in leaked records
The breach also reached four email services run by So-net. Sony confirmed that email addresses and matching passwords leaked for 54,401 accounts. The affected services are Mail Service (G), A-Box, So-net VAIO Mail, and PostPet Mail Account Service.
Bank details leaked as well. Sony said the attackers exposed 16 sets of bank account information. These records show the names of banks and branch details. They also show account numbers and the names of account holders. The company said it does not hold customers’ bank account PINs.
Seven more exposed records came from password reset notification documents. Sony reset the passwords linked to those records. It plans to contact the affected customers.
Credit card details were not part of the leak, according to the company. Sony said it does not keep such information. The company also reported no confirmed information leaks from its other services. That includes its NURO internet service. Sony’s support page gives customers more guidance about the incident.
Sony resets passwords and warns customers about scam messages
Sony took action on October 27. It reset the email passwords for all 54,401 affected email addresses. Users of those services must now set new passwords through their So-net accounts. The company said it will contact affected customers one by one.
As of October 27, Sony had found no secondary damage from the incident. Still, the company warned customers about possible scams. Criminals could use the leaked details to send fraudulent emails or text messages. They could also place fraudulent telephone calls.
Sony gave customers three clear pieces of advice. Customers should not respond to suspicious messages. They should not open links in unexpected messages. They should also avoid downloading attachments from untrusted sources.
Reports say the incident shows the risks of storing large amounts of customer information in one database. Sony has blocked unauthorized access. However, its investigation into the cause and extent of the breach is not finished.
Cyberattacks have also affected other major organizations, including the European Space Agency, where staff data was leaked on the dark web. The company has also promised to review its security measures. It will review its information management practices too. Sony hopes these steps will help prevent similar incidents.
