Experts at Sophos have reminded Internet users of the importance of computer security after media reports revealed that sensitive police information has been leaked onto the Internet from a virus-infected computer.
According to the Japanese press, information about 1,500 individuals, related to police investigations over a three years, was leaked from a virus-infected computer belonging to an Okayama Police investigator. The data is said to have been distributed to users of the Winny peer-to-peer file-sharing system. Winny is the most popular file-sharing network in Japan, with over a quarter of a million users.
According to the report, the leak occurred because the policeman was storing data about investigations on his personal computer. The PC was infected with an unnamed computer virus which is said to have enabled Winny users across Japan to access the sensitive information. The exposed data included the names of sex crime victims.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said,
"It's bad enough when an individual has data stolen from them by a virus, but a police force being the victim is a real cause for concern. This incident acts as a timely reminder that all organizations need to take computer security seriously. If you allow your employees to put sensitive company data onto their own home computers, you are running the risk that they will not be as well defended as the PCs within your business."
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