Sony Network Communications

Profile narrative

Sony Network Communications Inc., operating under the So-net brand, is a Japanese internet service provider delivering fixed-line broadband, mobile connectivity, email hosting, and related digital services to residential and business customers throughout Japan. The company offers fiber-to-the-home access under the NURO Hikari name, ADSL, and mobile virtual network operator plans, while also managing email platforms including So-net Mail and the plala service integrated via a transition agreement with NTT Communications. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, So-net benefits from shared technological resources but operates as a distinct licensed telecommunications carrier under the oversight of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Its infrastructure combines owned network assets with wholesale arrangements to serve a subscriber base numbering in the millions across the Japanese market. The company was established in 1995 as part of Sony's diversification into network services.

The scope of So-net's data holdings was illustrated by a security incident disclosed on October 19, 2026, in which unauthorized access to its member database compromised approximately 2.59 million records containing names, phone numbers, email addresses, user IDs, dates of birth, genders, and internet connection IDs. The breach also exposed mailbox passwords for 54,401 addresses across four email services and sixteen bank account records, though primary account passwords and credit card numbers were not affected. The company detected the intrusion several days after it began, shut down the affected server, and reported the case to Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission in accordance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information. At the time of announcement, no confirmed secondary damage had been identified. This event underscored the organization's role as a large-scale custodian of personal information and its regulatory obligations within Japan's data protection framework.

Incidents

1 incident linked to this organisation.