Cybercriminals Hack Next-gen Japanese Missile Data

Details of a new missile including range, propulsion and heat resistance could have been stolen in a “large-scale” cyberattack targeted at Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

Hackers got hold of performance requirements and sent them to several other defense firms as part of the bidding process for the project, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday.

Mitsubishi Electric did not win the bid for the prototype. A long-range supersonic missile was proposed that could pass through enemy missile defense networks, the report said.

In January of this year, a cyberattack against Mitsubishi Electric, allegedly by a Chinese cybercrime group, is said to have compromised e-mail exchanges with Japanese MoD and the Nuclear Regulation Authority. In addition, the hackers reportedly got access to documents related to projects with private firms, railway operators, communications and car manufacturers.