Suspected hacker held over Web site breach

A Kyoto University researcher was arrested Wednesday for allegedly hacking into the Web site of a computer software association in November to steal personal information. Kazuho Kawai, 40, is suspected of stealing the personal information of 1,200 people, including their names, addresses and phone numbers, from the Association of Copyright for Computer Software Web site between Nov. 6 and 8. Kawai, known as "office" in cyber circles, has hacked into the official Web site of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other sites owned by government offices and companies over the last three years, police and cyber sources said.

He has posted information about security defects in computer systems on his personal Web site, and the information has also appeared in magazines.

Kawai taught people attending an event in Tokyo how to gain unauthorized access to computers after hacking into the Tokyo-based association's site, police said.

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