Bookoff says unauthorized access may have leaked data of up to 6.43 million members
In short
Bookoff Group Holdings said on the 9th that a member-information management system run by a subsidiary was accessed without authorization, and that data on up to about 6.43 million members may have leaked. The information includes names, dates of birth, email addresses, phone numbers and addresses, but not credit card details, the company said. It said no misuse of the information had been confirmed so far.
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Bookoff Group Holdings (ブックオフグループホールディングス), which sells used books, said on the 9th that a member-information management system run by a subsidiary had been accessed without authorization by a third party, and that data on up to about 6.43 million members may have leaked. [ 1 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
According to the company, the affected information includes members' names, dates of birth, email addresses, phone numbers and addresses, Tokyo Shimbun, Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun reported. Tokyo Shimbun and Nishi-Nippon Shimbun said point card numbers and membership numbers were also included. Credit card and other payment information was not held in the system and was not affected, those outlets reported. ASCII.jp's headline said password hash values were also among the affected data; other outlets did not mention passwords. [ 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
The unauthorized access was detected on the 6th, and an investigation found that member information managed in the system had been taken from outside, Tokyo Shimbun and Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported. [ 5 , 7 ]
The company said that as of the 9th it had not confirmed any case of the leaked information being published or misused by third parties. TBS NEWS DIG reported that Bookoff urged people to be careful of suspicious emails and phone calls. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
Bookoff said it would continue investigating the facts and the scope of the impact, and would review its security setup and work to prevent a recurrence, according to Asahi Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun. [ 5 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The company put the possible leak at up to about 6.43 million records of members' personal data. Bookoff has urged people to watch for suspicious emails and phone calls, and said it will review its security setup and work to prevent a recurrence.
Key facts
- Bookoff Group Holdings (ブックオフグループホールディングス) said a member-information management system of a subsidiary was hit by unauthorized access. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Data on up to about 6.43 million members may have leaked. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- The leaked information includes names, dates of birth, email addresses, phone numbers and addresses, as well as point card numbers and membership numbers. [ 5 , 7 ]
- Credit card and other payment information was not held in the system and is not affected, according to the company. [ 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- The unauthorized access was detected on the 6th. [ 5 , 7 ]
- No misuse of the leaked information has been confirmed so far, the company said. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Bookoff urged people to be careful of suspicious emails and phone calls. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A subsidiary's member-information management system was accessed without authorization. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Up to about 6.43 million members' records may have leaked. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Names, dates of birth, phone numbers and addresses are among the affected data. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Credit card information is not included. [ 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- No misuse of the information has been confirmed so far. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- Whether password hash values were also among the leaked data. Only ASCII.jp's headline says password hash values were affected; no other outlet mentions passwords.
- How the unauthorized access was carried out and who was behind it. The documents describe it only as unauthorized access by a third party; the company said its investigation of the facts and the scope of the impact continues.
- The name of the subsidiary that runs the system. No document names the subsidiary.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- NHK reports Bookoff's announcement of a possible leak of up to 6.43 million members' records. [ 1 ]
- Livedoor News reports that Bookoff announced member information leaked externally. [ 2 ]
- ASCII.jp reports that password hash values were also affected. [ 4 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun reports the types of data affected and that the access was detected on the 6th. [ 5 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports the leak as breaking news and Bookoff's warning about suspicious emails and calls. [ 6 ]