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Cyber Threat
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Ransomware victim Manufacturing

Nippon Steel Corporation

Listed by Metaencryptor on · organisation based in Japan

www.nipponsteel.com

Disclosed
Sep 15, 2026
Leak-site listing date
Threat group
Metaencryptor
55 victims listed
Country
Japan
#11 most targeted
Sector
Manufacturing

ThreatAI analysis

Compiled from this incident record and the threat intelligence profile for Metaencryptor. Figures and technique mappings are quoted from the source data, not inferred.

Nippon Steel Corporation was listed on Metaencryptor's dark web leak site on 15 September 2026; the company, Japan's largest steelmaker, manufactures advanced steel products for sectors including automotive and construction.

About Nippon Steel Corporation

Nippon Steel Corporation is Japan’s largest steelmaker and one of the world’s leading steel producers. Headquartered in Tokyo, the company manufactures and supplies advanced steel products for the automotive, construction, energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors. Nippon Steel operates globally through a large network of subsidiaries and production facilities, with annual revenue of approximately $67 billion and more than 138,000 employees.

Source record: ransomware.live

About the Metaencryptor group

MetaEncryptor is a ransomware group first observed in mid-2023, targeting medium-to-large enterprises in legal, technology, logistics, manufacturing, and finance sectors primarily in the UK, Europe, and Southeast Asia, using AES-256/RSA-2048 encryption and double extortion. Metaencryptor has listed 55 victims since August 2023.

Incident analysis

Nippon Steel Corporation was listed by Metaencryptor ransomware, a group with 55 victims recorded in this database. The listing appeared on the group's leak site on September 15, 2026.

Nippon Steel Corporation is based in Japan and operates in the Manufacturing sector. Japan ranks #11 worldwide for ransomware disclosures, with 306 victims in this database.

Sector context. Manufacturing companies are frequently targeted because production downtime directly translates to financial loss. Ransomware operators exploit this time-sensitivity to demand higher ransoms and faster payment.

Metaencryptor typically follows a double extortion model: data is exfiltrated from the victim's systems before files are encrypted, so the victim faces two demands at once — pay to restore access, and pay to keep stolen data unpublished. The leak site, where this listing appeared, is the lever for the second demand.

Source. Public leak-site disclosures aggregated via the ransomware.live API. The disclosure date is when the listing was published, which can differ from the date of compromise. This site does not publish or link to stolen data. Last updated .

Frequently asked questions

Was Nippon Steel Corporation attacked by ransomware?

Yes. Nippon Steel Corporation was listed as a victim of the Metaencryptor ransomware group on September 15, 2026. The organisation is based in Japan and operates in the Manufacturing sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked Nippon Steel Corporation?

Nippon Steel Corporation was attacked by Metaencryptor ransomware. Metaencryptor is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 55 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the Nippon Steel Corporation ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on Nippon Steel Corporation was disclosed on September 15, 2026. This date reflects when the victim was published on the threat group's leak site, which may differ from the actual date of initial compromise.

What data was stolen in the Nippon Steel Corporation ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from Nippon Steel Corporation has not been independently verified by this platform. Ransomware groups typically exfiltrate data before encrypting systems and use the threat of publication to pressure victims. As a Manufacturing organisation, Nippon Steel Corporation likely held sensitive business data, client information, and operational records.

How can organisations protect against Metaencryptor attacks?

To defend against Metaencryptor and similar threat actors, organisations should: maintain regular offline backups tested for restoration; implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement; deploy multi-factor authentication on all remote access; use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools; conduct regular phishing and security awareness training; and monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with active groups.