TOKYO (TR) – Japan’s Digital Agency announced late on Thursday that the personal data of more than 13,000 citizens may have been leaked following unauthorized access to a third-party contractor’s system, reports TV Asahi (Oct. 22).
The potential breach involves data submitted through the agency’s official online inquiry forms between May 2021 and March 2023. According to the agency, the compromised data includes up to 8,833 “general opinions and requests,” as well as a maximum of 3,661 inquiries specifically related to the government’s vaccination certificate app.
Information believed to have been exposed in the leak includes full names, email addresses, and the specific contents of the users’ messages.
The security failure stems from the agency’s reliance on Studio Inc., a website creation tool provider used to manage portions of the government site. On October 16 Studio publicly revealed that its network had been breached by unauthorized access, triggering the current data crisis.
In the wake of the breach, the Digital Agency is urging affected individuals to remain on high alert for suspicious emails and potential phishing scams.