Kyushu Electric Power Co. reports data breach affecting over 10 million customers

Coverage from Bleeping Computer indicates that Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. has disclosed a physical security incident that potentially exposed the private data of over 10 million customers. The incident occurred due to the loss of an external storage device used for regular data backups.

On April 27, Kyushu Electric Power Co. utilized an external storage device for data backups due to capacity constraints. The device was reportedly stored in a secured server room cabinet. However, on May 26, IT staff discovered the cabinet unlocked and the storage device missing. The affected data includes customer names, service addresses, electricity usage details, telephone numbers, and names of retail electricity providers. The company has stated that no financial information, such as bank account or credit card details, was compromised. Investigations, including interviews with personnel who accessed the server room, have been conducted, but the drive has not been recovered.

Kyushu Electric has filed a police report and notified relevant authorities, including Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has requested a detailed report on the incident and preventative measures by July 8.

Source: Bleeping Computer