Japanese government data stolen in Fujitsu hack

Hackers have gained access to Fujitsu's project management platform resulting in data leaks from various Japanese government offices, according to reports.

A spokesperson for Fujitsu confirmed to IT Pro that an unauthorised third-party gained access to its "Project WEB" platform, a collaboration and project management software used for Japanese-based projects.

"Fujitsu is currently conducting a thorough review of this incident, and we are in close consultation with the Japanese authorities," said the spokesperson. "As a precautionary measure, we have suspended use of this tool, and we have informed any potentially impacted customers."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism said a third party illegally accessed Fujitsu's software which resulted in the ministry suffering a data breach. At least 76,000 email addresses were exposed, including those belonging to individuals outside of the ministry that were registered on its mailing list. The ministry also confirmed that the ProjectWEB software has been taken down.

The stolen information is said to relate to its equipment systems, staff business email addresses, and information on its business relationships.

Japan's National Cyber Security Centre was also affected by the leak, which said that measures were being taken to prevent the spread of the damage. Local media has also reported that hackers accessed software at Narita Airport and stole data held by air traffic control systems, as reported by NHK.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said on Wednesday that no damage to the Cabinet's cyber security centre's system had been confirmed.

He added that cyber security must be tightened, as hackers could target the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which are scheduled to take place in two months time.