A former GSDF white-hat hacker has warned that Japan is becoming a sitting duck for cyberattacks. He points out that, as Chinese-style AI becomes more widespread, attackers worldwide are focusing on the lag in Japanese companies' countermeasures.
As nonfiction writer Hirono Shinji (広野真嗣) examines the issue, the white-hat hacker highlighted the core of the changes currently taking place in cyberspace. He expressed the view that a succession of hacking incidents targeting Japanese companies is developing into a threat to individuals' assets and the national interest.
GMO Internet's FX trading cloud service was subject to unauthorised access, and approximately ¥6.5 million in total was wiped out through trades in US dollars, cryptoassets and other instruments across 3 accounts between the previous night and noon on the 22nd. The number of victims is reportedly as high as approximately 27,000. On 2 November, GMO Internet President Kumagai Masatoshi (熊谷正寿) held a press conference to apologise.
Specially Appointed Professor Tanaka Yuto (田中悠斗) of Digital Hollywood University cited the involvement of cyberattackers and the identification of vulnerabilities as factors behind the increase in unauthorised access since September. It has been reported that Tanaka (田中) calls himself an off-white hacker and has given a presentation at a meeting attended by government officials.
Against this backdrop, a statement was made at a meeting of the LDP's National Cybersecurity Strategy Headquarters that a team would be established to recruit personnel capable of carrying out attacks more powerful than those of attackers in order to identify vulnerabilities. Strengthening domestic security measures and securing talent have emerged as challenges for the future.