
Japanese Ministry of Defense hit by cyber attack and data breach
Reports indicate that the Japanese Ministry of Defence has been hit by a cyber attack which may have exposed data. The Japan Times writes that ministry sources say the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces discovered in September that their shared communication network had suffered a cyber attack that enabled a hacker to penetrate the Ground Self-Defense Force’s computer system.
This is a significant event as it seems to have occurred despite efforts to step up measures against cyberattacks, such as the setting up of a Cyber Defense Group in March 2014 to monitor the ministry and SDF communication networks around the clock, and after installing an ‘advanced analysis device’ for cyber defence.
If you consider the target, it’s no surprise that reports speculate that this may have been a state sponsored attack.