Komikku Shimoa e-book store operator says up to 4.2 million items leaked
In short
NTT Solmare (NTTソルマーレ) said on the 21st that unauthorised access to its e-book store Komikku Shimoa (コミックシーモア) leaked up to about 4.2 million items of personal information, including email addresses and birth dates. The service, suspended on the 15th, has no restart date.
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NTT Solmare (NTTソルマーレ), the operator of the e-book store Komikku Shimoa (コミックシーモア), said on the 21st that unauthorised access led to a leak of up to about 4.2 million items of personal information. Nikkei described the company as a subsidiary of NTT West based in Osaka. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to Nikkei, the leaked system log information includes email addresses, birth dates and gender, and the items differ by user. In the member database, 319 leaked items were confirmed, including email addresses, birth dates and passwords converted to a special string and encrypted. Nikkei said the count may include duplicates of the same user. Yomiuri said the information was stored in system log files and the member database. [ 1 , 2 ]
TBS NEWS DIG reported the company as saying that leaks of credit card information and purchased works data have not been confirmed. It said the company identified and blocked the route of the unauthorised access. [ 3 ]
NTT Solmare suspended the service on the 15th over possible unauthorised access, and Nikkei reported that it announced the leak of member information on the 16th. Nikkei said the company had initially been examining the number of items, and that the figure and the data involved became known with the latest announcement. [ 1 , 2 ]
No restart date has been set. Nikkei said the company is confirming safety and will give top priority to restoring web viewing of purchased works and the unlimited-reading viewing function, with purchases and payment functions to follow once their safety is confirmed. TBS NEWS DIG likewise reported that viewing of purchased works would resume first, in stages. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Nikkei describes the store as one of Japan's leading e-book services, with more than 40 million monthly users. The company has not said when the service will return.
Key facts
- NTT Solmare said on the 21st that up to about 4.2 million items of personal information were leaked from Komikku Shimoa. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The leaked data includes users' email addresses and birth dates. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Nikkei reported that the items leaked differ by user, and that in the member database 319 leaked items were confirmed, including email addresses, birth dates and encrypted passwords. [ 1 ]
- The company said it has not confirmed any leak of credit card information or purchased works data. [ 3 ]
- NTT Solmare suspended the service on the 15th over possible unauthorised access. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Nikkei reported that the company announced the leak of member information on the 16th. [ 1 ]
- No restart date has been set for the service. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- NTT Solmare announced on the 21st that unauthorised access to Komikku Shimoa led to a leak of up to about 4.2 million items of personal information. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The service was suspended on the 15th and no restart date has been decided. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The leaked information includes users' email addresses and birth dates. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- When the service will resume All outlets say the restart date is undecided; Nikkei says the company is still confirming safety.
- How many individuals are affected Nikkei said the count may include duplicates for the same user, so the number of people is not given.
- Whether credit card or purchase data was leaked Only TBS NEWS DIG reports the company's statement that no such leak has been confirmed.