Toyota Corporation states that the vehicle data of 2.15 million customers was exposed over the course of a decade due to human error.

The incident occurs as Toyota continues to advance its intelligent technology for vehicle connectivity and cloud-based data management, which is considered crucial for autonomous driving features and data-enabled artificial intelligence.

Affected customers include those who signed up for the T-Connect service, which offers features such as AI voice driving assistance, automatic connection to call centers for vehicle management, and emergency assistance in the event of a traffic accident or medical emergency. Customers of G-Link, a similar service for Lexus owners, were also impacted.

A Toyota spokesman confirmed that the problem, which occurred in November 2013 and lasted until mid-April 2023, was caused by human error, resulting in the cloud system being made public instead of private. The data may include vehicle location and vehicle identification numbers. Currently, the company has not received any reports of malicious use of the data.

“The problem is caused by the lack of proactive public or private cloud detection mechanisms and the absence of activities to detect these changes,” the spokesperson responded when asked why the error went unnoticed for a long time.

Following the discovery of the incident, Toyota proceeded to block outside access to the data and launched an investigation. The Japanese company emphasized that it would implement a system to check cloud installations, establish a system for continuous monitoring of settings, and thoroughly educate employees on data handling rules.

The incident adds to a series of challenges faced by Koji Sato, who assumed the role of Toyota CEO in April. Recently, Toyota acknowledged safety testing problems within the Daihatsu sub-brand.

Source: vnexpress.net