Data breach potentially exposes information of 125,000 police officers and staff

The Japan Times reports that the data at risk includes names and email addresses registered with a safety check system of police officers and staff members to be used in times of emergencies.[1]According to the same report, the forces affected, including those in Aichi, Hyogo and Hiroshima prefectures, had outsourced to Arcadia, based in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture[1], a system used to check whether personnel were safe during disasters and able to report for duty.The Japan Times also reports that more than 18,000 email addresses belonging to members of the public and businesses that signed up for crime alerts might also have been exposed.[1] Red Hot Singapore gives a different count, reporting that the personal information of staff at 22 prefectural police forces in Japan may have leaked[2].Jiji Press, via Nippon.com, said that NPA officials described the incident as unauthorized access to cloud service operator Arcadia Inc.[3] According to Red Hot Singapore, no investigative information was leaked, the agency said.[2]The Japan Times reports that no cases of the potentially exposed information being used for fraud or other criminal activities have been confirmed[1]. The NPA has told affected forces to warn people about the risk and to arrange alternative means of contacting personnel during emergencies.[1]According to The Japan Times, the attack has also raised concerns about potential data breaches at other organizations, including local governments and fire departments across Japan.[1]