Japanese Government Google Groups Account Exposes 6, 000 Items of Data

[Erica Absetz <erica () riskbasedsecurity com>]

https://www.tmcnet.com/topics/articles/2013/07/15/345701-japanese-government-google-groups-account-exposes-6000-items.htm

The information wasn't nabbed by a smarmy hacker or betrayed by a
disgruntled employee. The account was simply left on its default
setting: "publicly viewable." As a result, the information shared
within the Group was searchable and viewable to any outsiders.

Officials have taken the Group's information offline. However, until
the data was removed, the contact information of public officials as
well as private information regarding schools, health organizations
and political parties was vulnerable to outside views.

Ministry official Michihiru Oi said that the ministry had its own
protocol for sharing information among groups, but it decided to use
Google Groups because its internals systems didn't always function
well outside of Japan. This dysfunction led to what Oi called "poor
connections" and a "bad working environment."

The ministry is currently negotiating a treaty generated at the
Minamata Convention, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, in
January. The convention wants to create international standards for
mercury use.

Minamata is located on Japan's westernmost island, Kyushu. In 1907,
the city began manufacturing acetaldehyde, which is a chemical used to
produce plastics. Mercury from the production process was dumped into
the Minamata Bay, and it was transformed into methyl mercury chloride,
a chemical easily absorbed into the food chain.

As residents of Minamata ingested contaminated seafood from the bay,
they began to develop symptoms of mercury poisoning. These symptoms
included trembling, motor difficulties, difficulty swallowing and
hearing, slurred speech and uncontrolled shouting.

Residents also reported seeing "dancing cats" in the street. The cats,
which often collapsed and died, also contracted mercury poisoning from
ingesting tainted seafood.

Public Health Service researchers didn't trace the mercury poisoning
to acetaldehyde production until 1963. Wastewater from production
continued to be released into Minamata Bay until 1968.

The Ministry of the Environment is conducting an investigation into
the data breach.
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