AI-Driven Hacks Mount in Japan; Government Urges Companies to Bolster Defenses

Concerns over data leaks and business disruptions... Calls for increased investment
The LDP also urges stronger public-private cooperation in response efforts

As cyberattacks exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) and personal data breaches have occurred one after another in Japan, the government has urged companies to strengthen their security measures.

Kyodo News reported on October 9 that the Japanese government had asked companies to strengthen their responses to vulnerabilities in information technology (IT) systems amid a series of unauthorized access incidents and information leaks targeting businesses.

The Japanese government warned that cyberattacks could threaten corporate management and called on companies to make security a key management priority, increase investment, and put specialized personnel and response systems in place. It also urged them to promptly provide relevant information to the National Cybersecurity Office (NCO) or cybersecurity specialist organizations if an incident occurs.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party also held a meeting of its National Cybersecurity Strategy Headquarters that day and urged the government to strengthen public-private cooperation in responding to cyberattacks.

Masaki Taira, who oversees AI policy for the Liberal Democratic Party, said that recent information leaks caused by unauthorized access resembled "saturation attacks," in which AI is used to launch large-scale automated attacks.

He stressed the need for measures that can automatically detect signs of unusual activity and minimize damage before sensitive information is leaked externally, even if a company's IT system is compromised.

Cyberattacks targeting major companies have occurred one after another in Japan recently. In one incident, a cyberattack on Times Car, Japan's largest car-sharing company, resulted in the personal information of 6.6 million users being leaked externally. Information leaks have also occurred at Daiwa Securities and convenience store operator FamilyMart, among others.

Japanese security authorities are investigating who was behind the series of large-scale unauthorized access incidents and the specific methods used in the attacks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.