GMO Internet details breach of Onamae.com Desktop Cloud and compensation plan

GMO Internet has published its fourth report on a cyberattack against its Onamae.com Desktop Cloud service, confirming that the service had security vulnerabilities, that its environment was accessed without authorization, and that customer information was taken outside the company. Some customers have also reported transactions in their trading accounts that they do not recognize.

GMO Internet says it will pay a flat condolence payment of JPY 5,000 to every customer currently using the service, regardless of whether they suffered financial loss, with eligible customers notified by email by October 30, 2026 about how the payment will be handled. Separately, the company will compensate customers for realized losses from unauthorized transactions in their trading accounts caused by this incident, based on an eligibility check using transaction records and access logs; details of the application procedure, required documents, and payment schedule will be announced by November 6.

The company says it has received a demand for money from someone believed to be the attacker, who threatened to publish information about the company and its customers and to continue manipulating trading accounts at more than 70 securities and FX firms in Japan and overseas if refused. GMO Internet says it will not pay. It has also asked the Japanese government to apply its "Active Cyber Defense" measures to the case.

Why it matters

It's a rare case of a company publicly detailing both an extortion attempt and a concrete customer compensation plan after a breach that hit real trading accounts.

Source: GMO Internet