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Sep. 4, 2013

Possible leak of information from RIKEN

We recently discovered that information that may have leaked from RIKEN has been posted on some Internet forums. We apologize for the fact that information that should have remained inside RIKEN has been leaked to the outside.

The information that leaked is as follows:

  • Computer account names of RIKEN personnel that were maintained on a specific server around 1998
  • Encrypted data from the same server related to passwords
  • Portions of data that are believed to have been stored on the same server

We do not know how these data leaked to the outside, but believe it is likely they derive from instances of illegal access that took place around 1998. We would also like to emphasize that the information that has been posted on Internet forums is not confidential research data.

We believe that the illegal access in 1998 stemmed from the illegal use of some RIKEN accounts. Immediately after that intrusion was uncovered, all RIKEN personnel were issued new passwords, and the server that was used at the time is no longer in use today.

[Countermeasures]
We will work to ensure that all personnel IDs and passwords are properly protected and managed, will strengthen surveillance of illegal access to information systems including servers, and will redouble efforts to reduce the risk of information leaks.

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