Global Security Newswire

The perpetrators of an August computer strike against a major Japanese company appeared to have obtained schematics and accident safeguards data for atomic energy facilities, as well as details related to military aircraft, the Asahi Shimbun on Monday quoted insiders as saying (see GSN, May 13).

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries could not verify seizure of data upon discovering the strikes, which involved the placement of malicious software on 83 company computers. The affected terminals were dispersed across 11 sites, including warship assembly facilities and a location overseeing the production of guided missiles.

Later checks on computers at additional sites, though, turned up indications that atomic plant and military systems data -- including details on earthquake preparations for nuclear facilities -- had been copied from the firm's storage equipment, insiders said (Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 24).