Cyber ​​attacks are increasing rapidly in Japan! Consider the reason

In recent years, cyberattacks have been frequently featured in the news in Japan. This time, we will take a look at the background behind the rapidly increasing number of cyber attacks, and why they have attracted so much attention in Japan.

Is Japan's awareness of information security low?

Data from the 2017 survey of awareness of information security measures among small and medium-sized enterprises in Asia released by ESET shows that Japan has the lowest level of security awareness in Asia.

Looking at overseas countries, 77% of respondents in India said their employers were aware of cybersecurity, 71% in Thailand, 66% in Singapore, and 56% in Hong Kong. Japan's rate is significantly lower at 24%. this is,This shows that awareness of security within Japanese companies is low.

Additionally, according to the "Investigation Report on Information Security Incidents" issued by the Japan Network Security Association, some of the causes of information leaks areThere are a certain number of cases caused by cyber attacks such as unauthorized access and worms/viruses.From this, it can be said that countermeasures against cyber attacks are still insufficient.

Feeling safe in Japan

The safety of Japan is sometimes featured in overseas news.

From a foreigner's point of view, Japanese people are praised as ``weird'' in a positive way, such as leaving the house unlocked or dropping your wallet and having it delivered to a police box. Neighbors can trust each other and live with peace of mind. That is good Japanese culture.

However, this Japanese sensibility can have a negative effect on information security. Like thisThe idea that ``Japan is safe'' may be leading to low security awareness.

In the world of the Internet, the concept of neighbors does not exist and there are no borders. Cunning hackers from countries with different languages ​​and cultures can launch attacks anytime, anywhere. Just because you're in Japan doesn't mean you're safe.Risk of being targeted at any timeThere is.

Cyber ​​attacks on Japan have increased rapidly since 2013

According to a report issued by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), cyber attacks and online fraud have been rapidly increasing since 2013.

According to the report, the amount of packet communication considered to be used for cyber attacks was 12.88 billion packets in 2013, 25.66 billion in 2014, 54.51 billion in 2015, 128.1 billion in 2016, and 150.4 billion in 2017. , is increasing every year. Although the amount of packet communication is not necessarily proportional to the number of cyber attacks, this result can be linked to a sharp increase in the amount of cyber attacks.

Reasons why cyber attacks on Japan are rapidly increasing

It is said that one of the reasons for the rapid increase in the number of cyber attacks against Japan isThe advent of automatic translation function in web browsersis.

Originally, most cyber attacks came from overseas. And most of them used email."Scattered type"Since the idea is that if you type a number, you will win, so in most cases English text is used, as it has the highest probability of being read all over the world. As a result, Japanese people rarely fell victim to English email attacks.

Language is also a big issue for attackers. From the perspective of foreign hackers, websites written in Japanese areI don't know what the site itself is, so I can't decide where to attack.. Furthermore, it was difficult to understand the meaning of data written in Japanese, and the information stolen was of little value to foreigners.

For these reasons, there was a time when the Japanese language was protected by a natural protective wall.

However, since 2013, many web browsers haveTranslation functionSince the time it was installed, there has been a rapid increase in the number of cases in which Japanese online banking and e-commerce sites have been victimized by cyber attacks. Hackers from overseas can now easily understand the content of Japanese websites.I have come to understand the value level of the information that lies ahead.

Why is Japan being targeted?

In addition to Japan's low security awareness, there is another reason why Japan is targeted by hackers. it is"Economic disparity"is.

Japan is still an economic powerhouse in the world, and relatively speaking, Japanese companies are overwhelmingly wealthy. According to research by Nomura Research Institute, people with an average annual income of 2 million yen or more are in the top 2% of the world's population. In other wordsJapanese office workers are among the richest in the worldThat's it. On the other hand, 4 billion people, or 72% of the world's population, have an annual income of less than 300,000 yen.

Currently, there is no international law in cyberspace, and matters are left to each country. In economically developing countries, people study IT and become hackers.Launching a cyber attack on Japan is a get-rich-quick opportunity, and it exists as a job to survive..

lastly

In the field of information security at small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan, some managers may think that there is no way they will be attacked or that there is no problem with their information being stolen, but in JapanSmall businesses and individuals are also targets of cyberattacks, and security efforts are urgently needed.You need to understand that.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications are also working to issue guidelines for small and medium-sized enterprises to strengthen their information security measures, so please refer to such information and take thorough measures. Recommended.

[Reference site]

・2017 Information Security Incident Investigation Report [Breaking Version] | JNSA
・Latest security threats and countermeasure points | JNSA
・Publishing NICTER Observation Report 2017 | National Institute of Information and Communications Technology・About the threat situation surrounding cyberspace in 2018 | National Police Agency