KDDI Customer Data Believed Stolen From Closed Computer Network
Posted on: Wednesday, 14 June 2006, 12:00 CDT
By Kyodo News International, Tokyo
Jun. 14--TOKYO -- The personal data on some 4 million of KDDI Corp.'s customers that was used in an attempt to extort money from the telecom carrier was possibly stolen from the company's internal computers, which are closed to outsiders, except for contractors, sources close to the case said Wednesday.
The police suspect that someone among the 225 people with access to the computers was involved in the data theft, the sources said.
The thief may have downloaded the data onto portable memory devices such as CD-R disks directly from any of 186 computers used for development and maintenance, the sources said.
KDDI confirmed Tuesday that private information on some 4 million customers had been leaked to a third party, after two men were arrested the same day on suspicion of attempting to extort money from the company.
One of the suspects, Akihiko Torii, 47, reportedly told the police that he got the data from an acquaintance.
The KDDI computer system managing its customer information is restricted to its computer room in Tokyo, where access to the 186 computers is possible only by use of IC cards. The company has given IDs and passwords to access the system only to 48 of its own employees and to 177 employees of its system development contractor, the sources said.
The police believe the data was taken out of the system deliberately, because access to customer information is unnecessary for the development and maintenance work on the computers, they said.
The other person arrested was Akio Minomura, 57. The two men contacted KDDI on May 30 and said they had obtained personal information on some 4.5 million subscribers to the company's Dion Internet access service, indicating they wanted a payoff, according to the police.
KDDI is a listed company that was originally Japan's international telephone service monopoly.
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Source: Kyodo News International, Tokyo
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