Web virus is rampant

Computer antivirus companies such as Kaspersky Labs Japan warned Monday that more incidents are occurring where Web sites operating in Japan are tampered and trapped so that computers accessing them will be infected with a virus.

The trap, or Web virus, is a variant of Gumblar.

Gumblar a.k.a. GENO proliferated in May 2009.

The variant has been confirmed to be implanted in more than 1,250 Web sites operating in Japan, said the computer antivirus companies.

Alico Japan's customer information leaked out (3)

Alico (American life insurance company) Japan announced on November 11 that the number of customers has reached 32,359 whose information including credit-card number had leaked out.

Alico Japan added that there is still a possibility that up to 230,000 customers' information had leaked out.

It has not yet confirmed what the leakage resulted from.

Alico Japan's customer information leaked out (2)
Alico Japan's customer information leaked out (1)

Fraud emails feigning to be from MS are proliferating

Japan Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (JPCERT/CC) warned on October 20 that fraud emails with a malicious program (install.zip) attached to them are prevailing which are sent from those who pretend to be Microsoft.

One of the fraud emails has the subject name “Conflicker.B Infection Alert.”

The program “install.zip” is a compressed file containing fake software.

Yahoo! Japan phishing email is proliferating again

Yahoo! Japan phishing email is proliferating again

The Council of Anti-Phishing Japan announced on October 16 that it has confirmed a new phishing fraud committed by those who pretend to be Yahoo! Japan.

The phishers target Yahoo! Japan's registered users by sending a phishing email so that the users will visit the fraudulent website.

The website is intended for stealing the user's address, name, credit-card number, and so on, though it is under operation as of October 16.

Yahoo! Japan phishing email is proliferating

Google Japan faces Japan-specific challenges (3)--Limited secondary use of Street View [1]

Another of the more strict measures Google Japan Inc. takes to protect privacy on the Street View service, as recommended by a study group under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), is to establish and manage a contact system on the site that allows users to report on malicious secondary uses of Street View images.

After Google Japan receives a report from the system and verifies that the secondary use is illegal and/or represents cyber-bullying, it will request the website administrator to delete the webpage(s) where the secondary use is done.

If the administrator refuses the request, Google Japan will consider taking legal action and making the website irretrievable on the Google search engine.

Japan will be the first where secondary use of Street View images is limited by Google among the nine nations in which the service is now deployed.

Google Japan faces Japan-specific challenges (2)--Published on-camera areas
Google Japan faces Japan-specific challenges (1)

Google Japan faces Japan-specific challenges (2)--Published on-camera areas

One of the more strict measures Google Japan Inc. takes to protect privacy on the Street View service, as recommended by a study group under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), is to publish the areas where it is now shooting images.

The areas being shot began to be sketchily shown on its Web site in further divided districts in each of the prefectures on September 4.

Moreover, Google Japan will offer an explanation about the Street View service to municipalities and distribute the brochure to residents through the municipality in order to mitigate their anxiety about the service.

Google Japan faces Japan-specific challenges (1)

Google Japan faces Japan-specific challenges (1)

Google Japan Inc. announced on September 4 that it is taking more measures to protect privacy on its location-based service site Street View.

Google Japan that day began to show the areas where it is now doing the shooting for Street View on the site.

Additionally, Google Japan will establish a contact system on the site that allows users to report on malicious secondary uses of Street View images.

These measures are taken in response to suggestions from a study group operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).

Is Google getting more privacy-conscious? (2)--Setting up a call center
Is Google getting more privacy-conscious? (1)--Lowering Street View camera