As the situation in the Indo-Pacific region becomes increasingly severe, with rising tensions in Taiwan and North Korea intensifying its nuclear and missile development, Japan, the United States, and the European Union (EU) are conducting joint exercises to prepare for cyberattacks. opened.

This joint exercise was conducted jointly by the intelligence authorities of Japan, the United States, and the EU with the aim of improving the ability of each country to respond to security threats in cyberspace.



The exercise was held privately, with more than 40 people, mainly online, including officials from governments and electric power companies, from 13 countries and regions in the Indo-Pacific region, including countries of the ASEAN = Association of Southeast Asian Nations, India, and Taiwan. You have to participate.



The exercise used a simulated system environment that simulated an important infrastructure facility such as a power plant, and was conducted under the assumption that a specific facility would be targeted by a cyber-attack.

The participants are set to be the person in charge of controlling the control system of the facility, and if unauthorized access is allowed, part of the control system will be manipulated from the outside and the water level of the water tank inside the facility will be lowered.



In addition, the software that detects abnormalities and displays them on the monitor was hacked, and the normal water level was displayed on the monitor as if there were no abnormalities.



In addition, each country shared practical countermeasures, such as methods for detecting unauthorized access from the outside and recovery procedures.



In order to deal with the threat of cyberattacks in the Indo-Pacific region, Japan, the United States, India and other countries will continue to strengthen cross-border cooperation and information exchange.

"Once electricity, gas, and other facilities are affected, it could threaten the entire region," said Yosuke Hoshi, director of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Cyber ​​Security Division. It is important for like-minded countries to share knowledge and experience with each other."

Cyber ​​attacks on critical infrastructure Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a series of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure such as electricity and telecommunications, which could have a serious impact on the lives of residents.



According to the Ukrainian government and others, a computer virus called `` wiper '' that renders infected terminals unusable just before the invasion in February was sent to multiple organizations such as domestic government agencies and companies.



Normal cybercrime uses viruses that have functions such as invading the system and secretly extracting information, but the "wiper" is powerful enough to completely stop functioning, such as destroying the system program. there is.



This time, the virus destroyed the satellite communication network system used for communication between the Ukrainian government and the military, making it unusable.



In addition, according to Ukrutelecom, a major telecommunications company that has a communication network throughout Ukraine, in March this year, the Russian side tried to break into the company's system and take over.



Although the company took measures to shut down the network immediately, major damage was avoided, but 2 million users in Japan were temporarily unable to communicate.

Rapid increase in access from overseas National Police Agency heightens vigilance

According to the National Police Agency, there has been a rapid increase in access from overseas trying to find vulnerabilities in Japan's servers, etc., and it is becoming more vigilant as it may lead to unauthorized access.



The National Police Agency is observing the act of searching for vulnerabilities with the aim of intruding into Japanese servers using sensors installed on the Internet. The number is 7,800.3 per day, which is three times more than five years ago.



The number of accesses considered to be from within Japan is 44.6 per IP address, while the majority from overseas is 7755.7, with many coming from the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia.



The National Police Agency has strengthened its vigilance, saying that it is important to deal with threats from overseas, as access to search for vulnerabilities may lead to unauthorized access.

Japanese companies hit by cyberattacks within a year: 1/4 of private surveys

With the international situation becoming increasingly tense, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the risk of cyber-attacks is increasing. According to a survey by a private research company, one-fourth of Japanese companies have been hit by cyber-attacks within the past year. I was.



This survey was conducted by "Teikoku Databank" from the 7th to the 12th of this month, surveying more than 1,200 companies in Japan.



As a result, 24.2% of companies said they had been attacked within the past year, and 8.6% said they had been attacked in the past month.



Specifically, there were many cases such as ``I was infected with a computer virus by receiving an email pretending to be from a client'', ``I was damaged by ransomware that demanded a ransom, and it cost money to recover'', `` A part of the supply chain was infected with a virus, and emails were sent without permission."



Regarding the cyber attack on Japan, in February this year, Toyota Motor Corporation's main customer parts manufacturer was attacked by a ransomware computer virus (ransomware), and the operation of the factory was temporarily suspended. There have been a series of attacks aimed at companies' supply chains, such as these, and corporate cyber security measures have become a major issue.

Cyberattacks are an issue that transcends national borders Information sharing Advance preparation is important

Mr. Takukuni Mitsunaga of the Information-technology Promotion Agency, who served as a lecturer for this exercise, pointed out that the risk of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure is increasing, and said, For example, if the factory were to stop, it would be impossible to produce, and the economic damage would be enormous. Preparation is very important," he said.



In addition, through these exercises, it is also important to create a community among cyber security officials from various countries and promote information sharing. It is believed that both sides share information with each other in some way, and it is necessary for the defending side to also promote solid cooperation. It will be very positive for Japan's cyber defense as a whole."