A flash drive containing thousands of Japanese residents' sensitive data goes missing while a worker apparently got drunk and fell asleep in the streets of Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture.
As per a news story by NHK, the USB flash stick houses the personal data of over 460,000 residents in western Japan.
This photograph taken at night on June 18, 2022 shows a couple looking at their phones while waiting for seats in front of a restaurant in Tokyo's Shinjuku area.
But the worker must have had a wild night out and lost thousands of sensitive information during that drinking session.
Flash Drive With Japan Residents' Sensitive Data Goes Missing
The contractor worker informed the authorities that he misplaced the USB driver, which contained sensitive information about residents.
He admits that he lost the bag that contained the flash drive while he was getting drunk.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 04: A new LaCie FastKey 120 GB, USB 3.0, Mac-compatible solid-state drive (SSD) device capable of data transfer speeds of up to 260 MB/s is displayed during a press event at the Venetian for the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show January 4, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The worker shared with the authorities that it contains personal information of residents like their exact addresses, full names, and birth dates.
Not to mention that the drive also includes how much local taxes the residents have paid, their bank account numbers, and the value of their welfare benefits.
On top of that, the flash drive reportedly includes information from all of the residents in the city of Amagasaki, which has a population of roughly over 460,000.
Worker Goes Drinking with USB Drive Containing Sensitive Data
The worker was supposed to pay the subsidies of the Japanese households gravely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. So, he needs all of this information to do so.
But he went out drinking without deleting the files on the flash drive, making it a memorable night for him.
A woman walks in a street of Tokyo's Shinjuku area at night on April 1, 2022.
According to a recent report by Business Insider, the worker fell asleep in the street after drinking alcohol. And when he woke up, he was surprised to learn that he no longer had the flash drive and the bag with him.
But thankfully, the officials of Amagasaki say that the sensitive data found in the flash drive is inaccessible for folks who have no idea about its password.
The municipal officials further took responsibility and assured residents that they will increase the security to prevent such incidents from happening again.
In addition, the authorities assured its residents that there was no reported leak of data.
Read Also: An iPhone Lost in a River for 10 Months Surprisingly Turns on After Owner Gets it Back
Missing USB Drive Has Been Found?
Business Insider reports that the man has already been reunited with that bag that contains the flash drive.
The worker returned to the location where he misplaced the bag together with the police, and got lucky to find it. He still stumbled upon the flash drive in the area where he thought he might have left it.
Related Article: Japan Tests Deep Ocean Current Turbine That Can Generate Electricity - Did It Work?
