Japanese Space Agency Experiences Cyber Attack, But Important Data On Rocket And Satellite Operations Is Safe

JAXA experiences hacking but satellite data remains safe. (photo: x @kumakuma8513)

JAKARTA - On Wednesday, November 29, a spokesperson for the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that the agency had been the target of a cyber attack. However, the information accessed by the hackers did not include important matters related to rocket and satellite operations.

"There is a possibility of unauthorized access by exploiting vulnerabilities in network equipment," a JAXA spokesperson said, without providing further details as to when the attack occurred.

The space agency became aware of the possible unauthorized access after receiving information from an external organization and conducting an internal investigation, the spokesperson said, without providing the name of the organization.

"This investigation is still ongoing," the spokesperson said.

Japanese media reported Wednesday that the cyberattack occurred over the summer, and police learned of the attack and notified JAXA this fall. The Yomiuri newspaper first reported the incident.