Osaka University announced on October 21st that files containing personal information of university affiliates were downloaded by a third party from NEC, which is entrusted with the operation of the university-wide educational computer system. The confirmed number of individuals affected by the leak, excluding duplicates, is 77,851. This includes 59,014 alumni, 15,035 current students, and 3,802 faculty and staff members.
According to the university, the files were downloaded on September 26th, and NEC reported the incident on October 9th. A subsequent investigation revealed that an un-reported partner company was involved in part of the operations. It was also discovered that NEC, without a contract with the university, had shared files containing personal information on cloud storage for information sharing purposes. Furthermore, files that should have been deleted after the completion of work were reportedly retained.
The main information leaked includes names, Osaka University personal IDs, university-issued email addresses, student or staff identification numbers, and affiliation information. The specific data items vary depending on the individual, and the university plans to notify affected individuals of their specific compromised information in the future.
The university considers the involvement of an un-reported partner company and the sharing and retention of files without a contract to be serious issues. It plans to demand that NEC thoroughly investigate the cause and implement robust measures to prevent recurrence.
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