[JTND] Wireless LAN at Big Department Stores Sent Cleartext

[Matatabi Report <editor@matatabi.com>]

[As security news, it is nothing new. There was a similar incident
reported at BestBuy stores in the United States last May. Bestbuy
suspended the use of WLAN soon after they were informed of the risks
and the Japanese stores did not. I want to show you an example of
Japanese corporate culture that the corporate greed and secrecy take
priority over consumer protection.]

From NIKKEI Byte(Japanese):

The Seibu Department Stores have admitted that their POS systems
transmitted data including credit card numbers in cleartext over the
store wireless LAN. According to Seibu, they knew the vulnerability
for some time (The writer of the article obtained information about the
vulnerability in last September.), but the stores didn't completed
securing the wireless POS system until the end of January. Seibu has
no plan to inform the credit card customers who made purchases before
January of the potential problem.


NIKKEI Byte (Japanese)
http://itpro.nikkeibp.co.jp/free/NBY/NEWS/20030221/1/

U.S. BestBuy Story

IP List
http://lists.elistx.com/archives/interesting-people/200205/msg00006.html
http://lists.elistx.com/archives/interesting-people/200205/msg00011.html

Help Net Security 
http://www.net-security.org/news.php?id=388

[In Japan, protecting own corporations/organizations are still given a
highest priority when disclosure could save them from disastrous
consequences. Tokyo Electric Power Company altered the service records
of the nuclear plants because the company did not want to shut down
the reactors for inspection. The irregularities were found after an
engineer from the subcontractor (a Japanese national worked for an
American company.) blew the whistle. Several reactors are now shut
down for thorough government inspections. The power company are
warning of power shortage. Corporate Japan makes a mess and the
consumers always pick up the tab.--Naoki]

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