December
3, 2006: A Japanese Air Force lieutenant is under investigation for allowing
classified logistical data, concerning operations in Iraq, to become freely
available on the Internet. The lieutenant, recently returned from Iraq, used
his own laptop computer at work. He copied the files, containing data on the
movement of military supplies, to his laptop, took it back to Japan with him,
and then ran a file sharing program (Winny, popular in Japan), which allowed
files on his computer to be shared with other Winny users. In the midst of all
this, the lieutenants laptop picked up a virus, which allowed the American
military files to be "shared" on the Winny network. Someone soon found them,
followed by journalists getting wind of it, which led to other Japanese
Air Force officers getting all the details of the wayward lieutenants
sins.
Troops
in Iraq are not supposed to use your own laptop for official business, unless
they have permission. You're not supposed to take military files with you when
you leave Iraq. Finally, you are definitely not supposed to let these files get
out onto the Internet. Another career ruined, and a valuable lesson learned. In
the past six months, the Japanese armed forces has punished 47 of its personnel
for similar mishaps. It's happened in other nations as well. Many troops now go
off to war, taking their laptops with them, along with unanticipated security
risks.
