UPDATE 2-Japan's defence business hit by its initial cyber attack

 * Mitsubishi serious says was target of cyber attack

* Says operating with outside consultants

* Some eighty computers infected, knowledge stolen - Yomiuri

* Company is Japan's biggest defence contractor (updates with company statement)

TOKYO, Sept nineteen (Reuters) - Japan's biggest defence contractor, Mitsubishi serious Industries Ltd , said on Monday hackers had gained access to its computers, with one newspaper saying its submarine, missile and nuclear power plant element factories had been the target.

The company said in a very statement that some info might are stolen within the initial known cyber attack on Japan's defence business.

"We've discovered that some system info like IP addresses are leaked and that is creepy enough," said a Mitsubishi serious spokesman.

"We cannot rule out tiny prospects of additional info leakage however up to now crucial knowledge regarding our merchandise or technologies are kept safe," he said, adding the corporate initial noticed the cyberattack on August eleven.

A Japanese defence white paper released last month urged vigilance against cyber attacks when a spate of high-profile on-line assaults this year that included Lockheed Martin and alternative U.S. defence contractors.

There were suggestions at the time that those attacks had originated in China.

The Yomiuri newspaper said regarding eighty virus-infected computers were found at the company's Tokyo headquarters yet as producing and analysis and development sites, together with Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works, Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works and Nagoya steerage & Propulsion System Works.

Kobe Shipyard currently builds submarines and makes parts to make nuclear power stations, whereas the Nagasaki Shipyard makes escort ships. The Nagoya plant makes guided missiles and rocket engines, the paper said citing unnamed sources.

At least eight completely different sorts of malicious program together with worm, that steals key info from infected laptop hardware, were found at Mitsubishi Heavy's main workplace or production sites, the Yomiuri said.

It is the country's biggest defense contractor, winning 215 deals price 260 billion yen ($3.4 billion) from Japan's Ministry of Defense within the year to last March, or nearly 1 / 4 of the ministry's spending that year.

Weapons included surface-to-air Patriot missiles and AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles.

Mitsubishi serious has conjointly been operating closely with Boeing , creating wings for its 787 Dreamliner jets.

"It's in all probability simply the primary that hacking attacks in Japan are detected. It's according to what we have seen already with huge yank defence corporations," Andrew Davies, a cyber-warfare analyst with the govt backed defence think-tank, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told Reuters.