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Amid a surge in hacking and data theft crimes exploiting artificial intelligence (AI), Japanese companies and government offices are also reeling from cyberattacks.
According to Kyodo News, cybersecurity firm Trend Micro announced on October 6 that the number of unauthorized access incidents made public by Japanese companies and local governments totaled 600 from the beginning of this year through the end of last month.
This already exceeds the 593 unauthorized access cases recorded throughout the entirety of last year.
A Trend Micro official noted that the current environment makes it easier to carry out cyberattacks utilizing AI technology, urging companies and other organizations to prepare countermeasures.
Information leakage incidents have occurred frequently in Japan recently.
Following major ripples caused by Japan’s largest car-sharing company, Times Car, which announced the leak of personal information for 6.6 million users, Daiwa Securities announced that a server belonging to an outsourced contractor was hacked, potentially leaking up to 220,000 customer records.
Watchmaker Citizen also stated that unauthorized access occurred on an external contractor’s server, potentially exposing personal information for about 100,000 people.
The Nikkei, Japan’s largest economic daily, announced on October 4 that Microsoft 365 employee work software accounts were targeted in a cyberattack, resulting in approximately 9,000 emails disguised as coming from employees being sent to news sources and others.
It is reported that a third party illicitly logged into employee accounts, and in addition to recipients’ email addresses and names, the contents of some emails may have been leaked.
In addition, the app for restaurant chain Yakiniku King was hacked, reportedly leaking approximately 10.79 million pieces of personal information, including subscribers’ email addresses and phone numbers.
Discount store Mr Max’s online store server also suffered unauthorized access, leading to the leakage of information for 1.73 million customers.
At GMO Research & AI’s survey site, unauthorized access resulted in the leakage of about 950,000 pieces of personal information such as user names and email addresses, and further caused financial damage with 2.86 million yen (approx. 24 million won) worth of points being fraudulently exchanged.
A Japanese investigative authority official told Kyodo News, “In the past, hacking required specialized knowledge, but with the advent of AI, it has become possible even without technical knowledge.”
Japanese experts advised that, under the premise that unauthorized access cannot be completely prevented, users should review the types and retention periods of personal information stored on corporate websites to minimize damage.
Meanwhile, Asahi Shimbun and other outlets reported that a core member of “Qilin,” a criminal organization that has launched ransomware attacks against companies and institutions worldwide, was recently arrested in Japan and transferred to Germany.
According to reports, Japanese investigative authorities arrested a 28-year-old Russian man visiting Osaka in May and handed over his custody to German authorities on October 2.
The arrested man is accused of infiltrating the computer network of a German logistics company in 2024 to steal data and extorting Bitcoin in exchange for the data.
Qilin, known as a Russian-linked hacking group, sells ransomware-as-a-service and has been blamed for contributing to the global surge in hacking incidents.
According to the National Police Agency of Japan, ransomware damage identified in Japan during the first half of this year reached 123 cases, marking the highest figure since 2020, when semi-annual statistics began being compiled.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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