Information on one of Japan's newest rockets was stolen from a desktop computer that was infected with malware, according to a published report that cited officials from the country's space agency.
The computer, located in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Tsukuba Space Center northeast of Tokyo, was found to be collecting data and transmitting it to computers outside the agency, according to a story published Friday morning by the New York Times. The computer was disinfected after malware was found on it on November 21, and an investigation failed to find any other infected machines.
Some of the data siphoned out of the computer involved Epsilon, a solid-fuel rocket still under development, according to the post. It is ostensibly intended to launch satellite and space probes, although solid-fuel rockets of its size can also be used militarily for intercontinental ballistic missiles. Epsilon also has the ability to be remotely controlled by a personal computer. Its first launch is scheduled for about a year from now.
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