File-sharing not so bad

Nuclear Material Control Center data leak report says sensitive info unlikely affected

May 19, 2016 (Mainichi Japan)

http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160519/p2a/00m/0na/010000c

The Nuclear Material Control Center released the results of its internal inquiry on May 18 regarding an incident whereby data was leaked from file-sharing software that had been installed onto an employee's personal computer.

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The center, a public interest incorporated foundation that is responsible for conducting nuclear-related inspections on nuclear power and other facilities, revealed that the center's server was separately accessed illegally last year in February -- and was subsequently utilized as a type of springboard from which to conduct cyber-attacks on outside computers.

According to the center's report, the illegal access occurred as a result of defects in the server's security -- and has already been corrected following a warning from an external agency.

However, the center did not report this matter to the secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority until April this year -- thereby flouting its own internal regulations by not reporting the problem when it was first discovered.

Regardless, because the file-sharing software was used only on one single employee computer, the center has said that the possibility that sensitive information was leaked is low.