Fortune Tobacco probes alleged data breach after ransomware claim

• Courtesy of Fortune Tobacco Corp. (FTC)

Fortune Tobacco Corp. (FTC) said it is investigating claims of a data breach involving its systems after a ransomware group reportedly listed the company among its alleged victims.

The company said it immediately took steps to address the situation after learning of the claims and has engaged cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident.

“We have also reported the matter to the National Privacy Commission and alerted relevant internal stakeholders as part of our established protocols,” FTC said in a statement.

The statement came after cybersecurity watchdog Deep Web Konek reported on Aug. 14 that the DeadLock ransomware group had claimed responsibility for an alleged breach involving Fortune Tobacco Corp. under the LT Group.

According to the ransomware listing shared by Deep Web Konek, the group claimed to have obtained around 27 gigabytes of data covering 14,836 files.

The listing alleged that the compromised information included 107 passports containing machine-readable zone or MRZ information, 1,712 bank statements involving PNB and Holco USD accounts, 212 promissory notes, and 231 BIR/eFPS credentials.

The ransomware group also claimed that some of the promissory notes were connected to Eton Properties and referenced approximately ₱2.53 billion in debt.

DeadLock further alleged that FTC failed to respond to its communications for 72 hours and threatened to publish the purported dataset on Aug. 18 unless payment was made.

FTC, meanwhile, said its initial investigation indicated that the attempts were “confined” to the company’s own systems and environment.

“As of this time, there have been no monitored unauthorized access into FTC’s environment considering the immediate measures undertaken by management,” the company said.

FTC added that it continues to monitor its systems and will take necessary measures to safeguard information belonging to its customers, employees, and other stakeholders.