Toyota has revealed that customer information in several countries across Oceania and Asia, excluding Japan, may have been publicly accessible from October 2016 to May 2023. The exposed customer data includes names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and vehicle identification and registration numbers. This incident comes shortly after Toyota’s recent announcement that the vehicle data of 2.15 million users in Japan had been publicly available for a decade due to human error.
The automaker, which is the world’s largest by sales, discovered the latest issue during an investigation into its cloud environments managed by Toyota Connected following the previous incident. Toyota admitted that the incident was caused by inadequate dissemination and enforcement of data handling rules. As a response, they have implemented a system to monitor cloud configurations.
The error occurred in the cloud environment where Toyota stored customer data collected by overseas dealers for maintenance inspections of vehicles. The company is currently conducting an investigation into the incident, considering the laws and regulations of each affected country. However, Toyota has not disclosed the exact number or specific countries of the affected customers, nor has it mentioned whether customers of its luxury brand, Lexus, were impacted.
Toyota Connected, in which the automaker holds a majority ownership, provides mobility solutions to individual and business customers. These solutions include features like a smart key function, a 24-hour operator service, and location-based route guidance and traffic congestion information.
According to Toyota, only a portion of the customer information may have been externally accessible. The company has stated that it found no evidence of third-party copies or unauthorized use of the customer data. Notably, the incident did not involve vehicle location or credit card information.
The discovery of the incident was unintentional, as it was found during routine inspections that began on April 7. Toyota is taking necessary steps to address the issue and ensure the security of its customers’ data.
