2014.01.28
Student arrested for stealing computer data
Ishikawa and Okinawa Police Prefecture arrested a 19-year-old high school student, Sunday, in Mie Prefecture on suspicion of illegally stealing electromagnetic records online. He has admitted to the suspicion. This marks the first time someone has been arrested in connection with a computer virus in Okinawa.
Okinawa Prefecture Police say that the student, using his home computer, created a virtual lion character in May 2012 that one can raise in a computer. When installed in a computer, the program at the same time illegally snatches IDs and passwords from the computer it has been installed in. It then sent the stolen data to the student.
Police started the investigation when a man in Uruma City discovered that the information on his computer had been stolen and contacted the police.
Okinawa Prefecture Police is continuing the investigation.