The Liberal Democratic Party in Japan has requested the government establish a dedicated cybersecurity task force to bolster national defenses against an increasing wave of AI-powered attacks, based on information published by IT Pro.
The initiative follows an emergency meeting of the National Cybersecurity Strategy Headquarters, where officials declared a state of emergency in cyberspace. Recent data indicates 119 cyberattacks have occurred this year as of Oct. 6, with 68% of these incidents taking place since July. Attackers are leveraging artificial intelligence to scan for vulnerabilities and conduct automated strikes against APIs, affecting sectors including retail, finance and cloud services. Notable incidents include the compromise of 1.67 million email addresses at JR East and a ransomware attack impacting IDC Frontier. Security experts warn that AI enables faster, more frequent attacks that are difficult to detect. In response, the proposed task force aims to break down organizational silos and encourage the adoption of AI-enabled defense tools. The strategy also seeks to provide government-funded support for small and medium-sized businesses to improve supply chain security. By modernizing infrastructure and increasing security budgets, the government hopes to mitigate the impact of these sophisticated threats on the broader Japanese economy.
Source: IT Pro
