Popular Japanese video-sharing website Niconico has suspended its services due to a cyber-attack, the operator announced.
“Currently, Niconico is being hit by a large-scale cyber attack and we are suspending our services to minimize its impact,” operator Dwango said in a statement late on Saturday.
“We are now conducting a thorough investigation and taking countermeasures. However, we will not be able to restore the service until we have confidence in its security and have mitigated the impact of the cyber attack,” the company said, adding that it did not expect this to happen. be able to restore service this weekend.
Niconico is one of the largest video sharing services in Japan, where users share a wide range of videos from music and sports to various hobbies. It also offers live streaming of programs including press conferences of government officials.
In addition to Niconico, parent company Kadokawa’s official website and e-commerce site were also affected by possible “unauthorized outside access,” the publisher said on Sunday.
“We sincerely apologize for causing any concern and inconvenience due to the issue affecting several Kadokawa Group websites since Saturday morning,” the Tokyo-based publisher said.
Kadokawa is investigating the impact of the attack, including “whether any information was leaked,” and also worked with outside experts and police, the report said.
Dwango said it would provide an update on Monday.
