A computer virus infected a data terminal at Japan's space agency, causing a leak of potentially sensitive information, officials announced today (Jan. 13).
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) discovered the malware Jan. 6 on a terminal used by one of its employees. A trace showed that the computer virus had gathered information from the machine, officials said.
JAXA still isn't sure how the virus got on the computer, or who put it there.
"Information stored in the computer as well as system information that is accessible by the employee have been leaking outside," JAXA said in a statement today. "We are now confirming the leaked information and investigating the cause."
The employee in question works on JAXA's H-2 Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned vessel that ferries cargo to the International Space Station. Information about the robotic spacecraft and its operations may thus have been compromised, officials said, along with stored email addresses and system login information accessed from the infected computer.
JAXA also has determined that the computer "sent out some information" sometime between July 6 and Aug.11 of 2011, officials said.
"With the above backdrop, passwords for all accessible systems from the computer have been immediately changed in order to prevent any abuse of possibly leaked information, and we are currently investigating the scale of damage and the impact," JAXA said in the statement. "Also, all other computer terminals are being checked for virus infections."
Computer viruses aren't just a problem on terra firma anymore. In 2008, a laptop used by astronauts aboard the International Space Station was found to be infected with a virus designed to swipe passwords from online gamers.
