The Fire and Disaster Management Agency announced that its Safety Confirmation Information System had been accessed without authorization by a third party. The service has been suspended and external access blocked while the scope of the impact is investigated.
On 5 November, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency disclosed that a third party had gained unauthorized access to its Safety Confirmation Information System, which enables safety information collected at evacuation shelters, hospitals and other locations to be searched as nationwide data. The service has been suspended and external access blocked to assess the scope of the impact.
The agency received a report from service provider FUJISOFT INCORPORATED confirming the unauthorized access. No leakage of personal information has been confirmed at this time, and the details remain under investigation.
The Safety Confirmation Information System enables local government employees and others to enter on PCs safety information collected at evacuation shelters and hospitals. The system was developed by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and began operating in April 2008. It was subsequently upgraded to cover natural disasters as well as situations involving armed attacks and other events. Approximately 163,000 safety information records were registered during the Great East Japan Earthquake.