TOKYO, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A hacker stole e-mails from at least one Japanese defense contractor in an attempt to acquire confidential information, sources told The Yomiuri Shimbun.
The newspaper said Sunday the unknown hackers apparently tapped into e-mails at Kawasaki Heavy Industries in August and downloaded some of the contents.
Police were investigating the scope of the intrusion and whether or not other defense companies were victimized and whether any sensitive defense information was stolen.
The hackers apparently obtained Kawasaki executives' e-mail addresses by breaking into an industry association's database of its directors. The sources said the intruders apparently used a virus planted on a telephone service company's computer to gain access to the Society of Japanese Aerospace Cos.
Japan's major defense companies are part of the association, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which was hit by a similar cyberattack earlier this year.
