Recently, a significant security vulnerability in the widely-used PHP programming language has been revealed, leading to urgent system patches or partial suspension of online services on government and corporate websites around the world. In response to this, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Akazawa Ryo, announced on Friday (October 23) the establishment of a “white hat hackers” team within the Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA) to proactively identify security weaknesses in technological systems by simulating network attacks using artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle the increasingly complex cyber threats.
Akazawa Ryo emphasized the need for a shift in defensive strategies, urging defenders to identify vulnerabilities from the perspective of attackers. He stressed the importance of utilizing AI to actively combat network threats and stay one step ahead of potential attackers.
The Minister instructed relevant departments to establish a dedicated team within the IPA under the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, within the next month. This team will recruit “white hat hackers” with specialized knowledge in cybersecurity to assist in identifying system vulnerabilities, conducting simulated attack tests, identifying and promptly fixing loopholes to enhance Japan’s network defense capabilities.
On Friday, Japan’s third-largest mobile telecommunications company, SoftBank, announced the temporary suspension of its mobile emergency alert system for SoftBank, Y!mobile, and LINEMO users to address the security risks posed by the PHP vulnerability, with services expected to resume on October 26. During this maintenance period, users will not be able to receive earthquake, tsunami, disaster, and evacuation alerts through the system.
SoftBank assured that over 30 million smartphone users under its network can still receive earthquake alerts through other services, such as the “Yahoo! Disaster Prevention News” application provided by its Yahoo business.
Japan is often impacted by natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. According to Reuters, Typhoon Champi is currently approaching Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
The financial, transportation, and government sectors of Japan have been affected by the issue. Nomura Securities, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, All Nippon Airways, and East Japan Railway Company (JR East) temporarily suspended some online services on Thursday. Japan’s Ministry of Finance, National Tax Agency, and Japan Meteorological Agency also halted certain online services.
JR East announced that some services within the group have been restored on Friday, with others set to resume gradually after ensuring security. Nippon Paint preemptively installed security patches and its website is now operational.
Nobuo Miwa, the President of Tokyo-based cybersecurity company S&J, criticized the slow response of the Japanese government, likening the current defense measures to “trying to use a bamboo spear against a bomber,” highlighting the limitations of traditional network defense mechanisms when facing new threats.
Eva Chen, CEO of Trend Micro, stated that AI has reduced the difficulty of crossing language barriers, potentially allowing attackers to exploit the detailed records and data of Japanese enterprises for cyberattacks. She noted that Japan has been overly confident in its existing infrastructure, assuming that current systems are sufficiently secure.
Cybersecurity experts point out that AI is assisting attackers in automatically scanning software vulnerabilities, creating phishing attack content, making cybercrime faster, cheaper, and more difficult to detect.
The PHP development team released patches on Wednesday (October 21) to fix two significant vulnerabilities that had been present for years, which were discovered during AI analysis. The development team urged website operators and system administrators to update their software immediately to reduce the risk of cyberattacks.