As criticism mounts over the Digital Minister’s call to “protect your own information,” personal information leaks caused by cyberattacks targeting cloud services are spreading.
The Digital Minister’s remarks prompted a wave of criticism on social media, while the government continues to warn of personal information leaks caused by unauthorized access.
MM Research Institute says the number of initial reports of cyberattacks disclosed from January through September 2026 reached 454, a record high.
Macnica estimates that personal information potentially exposed in the leaks affects more than 165 million people, prompting some to describe the situation as a “society of 165 million people affected by data leaks.” Specific incidents cited include the leak of 1.6 million driver’s license images from Times Car and the leak of information on 10.78 million Yakiniku King members.
Vulnerabilities at cloud service providers have been cited as a major cause of the damage. One case involved an IDC Frontier cloud service being hit by a ransomware attack, affecting a total of 495 organizations, including local governments and companies. Experts have also pointed to the collapse of the myth that cloud services are inherently secure.