Japan Takaichi Orders Cybersecurity Measures as Attacks Grow
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ordered her cabinet to compile emergency measures by the end of next week to counter a spate of cyberattacks that have rocked Japan in recent weeks.
“In response to cyberattacks whose nature has been identified, we will strategically select and implement a full range of countermeasures — including taking steps to access and neutralize the threat,” Takaichi said at an emergency ministerial meeting held Monday.
She did not elaborate further on the countermeasures but asked her ministers to gather information and communicate possible risks and threats to experts, businesses and the public.
Takaichi also asked her cybersecurity minister, Toshiharu Furukawa, to work closely with allies, like-minded countries and other relevant international organizations to identify the source of the attacks and to form a joint response with the international community.
A recent string of data breaches has hit Japan Inc. amid concerns around the world about the use of artificial intelligence to take advantage of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. In the most recent incident for Japan, IT services provider GMO Internet Group said its foreign-exchange trading service was subject to unauthorized access, with some customers reporting transactions in their accounts that they did not recognize.
On Saturday, GMO asked the government to help neutralize the source of malicious cyberactivity. Chief Executive Officer Masatoshi Kumagai said in a blog post GMO had received a demand for $50 million-worth of cryptocurrency in ransom, which it didn’t pay.
The GMO incident comes less than a month after a new set of cybersecurity laws came into effect. The new framework allows for Japan to deploy “active cyber defense,” meaning that it can take a more proactive stance by identifying and eliminating emerging cybersecurity threats.
The law also seeks to foster better communication and integrated countermeasures by the private and public sectors.
Last week, economy minister Ryosei Akazawa said Japan plans to launch a team of so-called white hat hackers, who are cybersecurity professionals tasked with finding and fixing online security weaknesses.
Top photo: Sanae Takaichi Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg.