Hit by wave of cyber attacks, Japan shifts to ‘active cyber defence’


apan aims to take a more proactive approach to cyber defence by allowing hackers working for the authorities to “attack” pre-emptively to prevent or stop sabotage attempts. Under a new strategy of “active cyber defence”, Japan plans to allow hackers working for the police or Self-Defence Forces (SDF) to infiltrate servers to neutralise the source of cyber attacks.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will table the relevant Bills when Japan’s parliamentary session begins on Jan 24. The urgency to ramp up cyber security has never been more acute in Japan. On Jan 8, the National Police Agency (NPA) said some 200 cyber attacks that targeted entities such as Japan’s foreign and defence ministries and the semiconductor industry between 2019 and 2024 were carried out by Chinese state-linked hacking group MirrorFace.

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Source: The Star News


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    apan aims to take a more proactive approach to cyber defence by allowing hackers working for the authorities to “attack” pre-emptively to prevent or stop sabotage attempts. Under a new strategy of “active cyber defence”, Japan plans to allow hackers working for the police or Self-Defence Forces (SDF) to infiltrate servers to neutralise the source ...