ATTACKS IN CYBERSPACE

BOOSTING JAPAN'S CYBERSECURITY

Mihoko Matsubara

The Japan Times, October 26, 2012

Tensions between Japan and China are mounting following the Noda government's decision to buy and nationalize the Senkaku Islands, and the repercussions have spilled over into cyberspace. Japan must urgently address its cybersecurity vulnerabilities and prepare for cyberthreats.

Vandalism in cyberspace quickly followed the Japanese government's announcement. China's largest "hacktivist" group, the Honker Union of China, denounced Tokyo's nationalization of the Senkaku Islands, calling it a declaration of war, and listed more than 100 Japanese entities as targets of a malicious campaign. For two weeks, Japanese central and local governments, banks, universities and companies experienced cyber vandalism, including the defacing of websites and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.

According to the National Police Agency, at least eight major Japanese websites were hit with cyber-vandalism and 11 more temporarily suffered access difficulties. Websites were altered to display Chinese flags and messages stating that the Senkaku Islands belong to China. Some of the cyberattacks used Chinese IP addresses and servers, but it remains unknown who the malicious actors are or who may be supporting them.

Website defacement is a comparatively unsophisticated hacking technique that makes Japan's vulnerability to more serious and latent cyberattacks a worrying concern. Tokyo must immediately strengthen cybersecurity to decrease the gravity and impact of these threats.

(...) [article here]