Japan defense industry computers hacked

September 19, 2011 - 12:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd said on Monday, September 19, its computers had been hacked into, with one newspaper saying the target was Japan's biggest defense contractor's factories for submarines, missiles and nuclear power plant components.

According to Reuters, a Mitsubishi Heavy spokesman said information could have been stolen in what was the first known cyber attack on Japan's defense industry. He gave no other details, saying the company would issue a statement later in the day once its investigation had been completed.

A Japanese defense white paper released last month urged vigilance against cyber attacks after a spate of high-profile online assaults this year that included Lockheed Martin and other U.S. defense contractors.

There were suggestions at the time that those attacks had originated in China.

The Yomiuri newspaper said about 80 virus-infected computers were found at the company's Tokyo headquarters as well as manufacturing and research and development sites including Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works, Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works and Nagoya Guidance & Propulsion System Works.

Kobe Shipyard currently builds submarines and makes components to build nuclear power stations, while the Nagasaki Shipyard makes escort ships. The Nagoya plant makes guided missiles and rocket engines, the paper said citing unnamed sources.

At least eight different kinds of computer virus including Trojan horse, which steals key information from infected computer hardware, were found at Mitsubishi Heavy's main office or production sites, the Yomiuri said.

It is the country's biggest defense contractor, winning 215 deals worth 260 billion yen ($3.4 billion) from Japan's Ministry of Defense in the year to last March, or nearly a quarter of the ministry's spending that year.

Weapons included surface-to-air Patriot missiles and AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles. Mitsubishi Heavy has also been working closely with Boeing, making wings for its 787 Dreamliner jets.