EDITORIAL Decadelong data leak raises serious concerns with NTT group The Asahi Shimbun Breaking News Japan News and Analysis
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ppSkip to contentppYour browser does not support JavaScript or it is disabledPlease check the site policy for more informationppThe Asahi ShimbunppOpinionppEditorialpparticleppppNovember 20 2023 at 1222 JSTpp
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corp President Masaaki Moribayashi apologizes at a news conference in Osaka on Oct 20 Asahi Shimbun file photo
ppA prolonged systemic failure in data security management resulted in a 10year leak of personal information in about 9 million cases stored at a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corp NTT WestppThe leak reflects a significant lapse in the companys protective measures and a stark oversight in regular security audits and monitoringppRather than merely a mishap of one subsidiary the data breach has raised serious questions about the responsibility and credibility of NTT West and the entire NTT group Japans leading telecom conglomerateppThe security breach occurred at NTT Business Solutions in Osaka which handles maintenance and operation of the computer system for call centersppA former temporary employee working at the firm had illegally taken out private information such as addresses names and telephone numbers from the computer system where the data for the call centers was storedppIt is believed that the information was sold to meiboya list brokers a type of business or individual involved in the trade or sales of personal information and data lists and police are looking into the case Police should hold offenders criminally accountable through an exhaustive investigationppWhat cannot be overlooked is the disturbingly negligent data protection at the company in charge of the information system It is astonishing that the firm allowed the data to be removed using what can be described as a classical method for so many yearsppAccording to the NTT sides explanation the former temporary employee downloaded the lists onto a work terminal and then transferred the data to a personal USB memory deviceppThis data theft continued from the summer of 2013 to the beginning of this year A similar largescale customer information leak that occurred in 2014 at Benesse Holdings Inc Japans leading correspondence education provider must have made the importance of measures to safeguard sensitive data widely recognized among Japanese companiesppHowever this company did not implement measures to prevent downloads to terminals or connections of personal USB devices nor did it have a system to detect suspicious activities such as mass data processing It also neglected to monitor records of access to the systemppNTT group claims it had instructed these protective measures to be taken but they were not thoroughly implemented It is natural and inevitable that both NTT West President and CEO Masaaki Moribayashi and Akira Shimada president and CEO of NTT Corp the holding company apologized for the massive information leakageppWhy werent the groups instructions concerning data security followed at the subsidiary Was the system of business inspection working properly Why did the firm fail to detect the breach through an inhouse investigation in the spring of 2022 triggered by the request of a client who suspected a data leakppMany issues and questions need to be addressed and answered through a probe based on a third partys perspective The results of the scrutiny should be published Moreover organizational and managerial responsibilities should also be reexaminedppThose impacted this time include privatesector companies local governments and other organizations totaling at least 59 entities that outsourced call center operationsppThere have been cases of product solicitations that seem to have exploited the leaked lists The revelations must have aroused no small anxiety among clients and related partiesppNTT group proclaims that information protection is the basis of our business activities and an important part of our social responsibility as a corporationppHow does the group intend to atone for this betrayal of trust It needs to be acutely aware of the weight of the responsibility that it must fulfillppThe Asahi Shimbun Nov 17ppEDITORIAL Talking offers Japan China their best hope of good rapportppEDITORIAL Takarazuka must offer plan to end long problematic culture ppEDITORIAL Little time left for Nihon University to regain its onceproud name ppEDITORIAL Kishidas extra budget makes a mockery of fiscal disciplineppEDITORIAL Osaka officials should work at baseball parades only if paid ppEDITORIAL Tax delinquent state minister Kanda should quit or be sackedpp
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ppLets explore the Japanese capital from the viewpoint of wheelchair users and people with disabilities with Barry Joshua GrisdaleppInhouse News and MessagesppBACK TO TOPppCopyright The Asahi Shimbun Company All rights reserved No reproduction or republication without written permissionp
ppSkip to contentppYour browser does not support JavaScript or it is disabledPlease check the site policy for more informationppThe Asahi ShimbunppOpinionppEditorialpparticleppppNovember 20 2023 at 1222 JSTpp
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corp President Masaaki Moribayashi apologizes at a news conference in Osaka on Oct 20 Asahi Shimbun file photo
ppA prolonged systemic failure in data security management resulted in a 10year leak of personal information in about 9 million cases stored at a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corp NTT WestppThe leak reflects a significant lapse in the companys protective measures and a stark oversight in regular security audits and monitoringppRather than merely a mishap of one subsidiary the data breach has raised serious questions about the responsibility and credibility of NTT West and the entire NTT group Japans leading telecom conglomerateppThe security breach occurred at NTT Business Solutions in Osaka which handles maintenance and operation of the computer system for call centersppA former temporary employee working at the firm had illegally taken out private information such as addresses names and telephone numbers from the computer system where the data for the call centers was storedppIt is believed that the information was sold to meiboya list brokers a type of business or individual involved in the trade or sales of personal information and data lists and police are looking into the case Police should hold offenders criminally accountable through an exhaustive investigationppWhat cannot be overlooked is the disturbingly negligent data protection at the company in charge of the information system It is astonishing that the firm allowed the data to be removed using what can be described as a classical method for so many yearsppAccording to the NTT sides explanation the former temporary employee downloaded the lists onto a work terminal and then transferred the data to a personal USB memory deviceppThis data theft continued from the summer of 2013 to the beginning of this year A similar largescale customer information leak that occurred in 2014 at Benesse Holdings Inc Japans leading correspondence education provider must have made the importance of measures to safeguard sensitive data widely recognized among Japanese companiesppHowever this company did not implement measures to prevent downloads to terminals or connections of personal USB devices nor did it have a system to detect suspicious activities such as mass data processing It also neglected to monitor records of access to the systemppNTT group claims it had instructed these protective measures to be taken but they were not thoroughly implemented It is natural and inevitable that both NTT West President and CEO Masaaki Moribayashi and Akira Shimada president and CEO of NTT Corp the holding company apologized for the massive information leakageppWhy werent the groups instructions concerning data security followed at the subsidiary Was the system of business inspection working properly Why did the firm fail to detect the breach through an inhouse investigation in the spring of 2022 triggered by the request of a client who suspected a data leakppMany issues and questions need to be addressed and answered through a probe based on a third partys perspective The results of the scrutiny should be published Moreover organizational and managerial responsibilities should also be reexaminedppThose impacted this time include privatesector companies local governments and other organizations totaling at least 59 entities that outsourced call center operationsppThere have been cases of product solicitations that seem to have exploited the leaked lists The revelations must have aroused no small anxiety among clients and related partiesppNTT group proclaims that information protection is the basis of our business activities and an important part of our social responsibility as a corporationppHow does the group intend to atone for this betrayal of trust It needs to be acutely aware of the weight of the responsibility that it must fulfillppThe Asahi Shimbun Nov 17ppEDITORIAL Talking offers Japan China their best hope of good rapportppEDITORIAL Takarazuka must offer plan to end long problematic culture ppEDITORIAL Little time left for Nihon University to regain its onceproud name ppEDITORIAL Kishidas extra budget makes a mockery of fiscal disciplineppEDITORIAL Osaka officials should work at baseball parades only if paid ppEDITORIAL Tax delinquent state minister Kanda should quit or be sackedpp
googletagcmdpushfunction googletagdisplaydivgptad15182265920450
pp
googletagcmdpushfunction googletagdisplaydivgptad15182266532700
pp
Englishguided sumo shows hit big with visitors to Japan
pp
December 7 2023
pp
Motorcycle hits taxi at famed crossing in Tokyos Ginza
pp
December 4 2023
pp
Princess Aiko turns 22 focuses on graduation thesis studies
pp
December 1 2023
pp
ppVisit this page for the latest news on Japans battle with the novel coronavirus pandemicpp
ppCooking experts chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in lifepp
ppHere is a collection of firsthand accounts by hibakusha atomic bomb survivorspp
ppThe Asahi Shimbun aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls through its Gender Equality Declarationpp
ppLets explore the Japanese capital from the viewpoint of wheelchair users and people with disabilities with Barry Joshua GrisdaleppInhouse News and MessagesppBACK TO TOPppCopyright The Asahi Shimbun Company All rights reserved No reproduction or republication without written permissionp
