Japan Reveals China-backed Cyber Attacks

japan - Japan's National Police Agency disclosed that cyber attacks targeting government agencies, politicians, and private companies between 2019 and 2024 were supported by Chinese hackers.

Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) has announced that more than 200 cyber attacks aimed at the country's 'national security and advanced technology data' have been carried out in the last 5 years.

The NPA stated that the China-backed hacker group named 'MirrorFace' targeted ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, space agency, politicians, journalists, private companies, and some think tanks.

According to the disclosure, the group sent emails with malicious attachments containing stolen identity information to targets, with subject lines often featuring key words such as 'Japan-US alliance,' 'Taiwan Strait,' 'Russia-Ukraine War,' and 'free and open Indo-Pacific.'

The statement called on government agencies and businesses to take precautions against cyber attacks.

Japan Airlines (JAL) announced that some flights were delayed due to a cyber attack on the network connecting its internal and external systems in December 2024, with at least 24 domestic flights delayed by approximately 1 hour and some international flights also affected adversely.

In February 2024, it was alleged that China leaked confidential diplomatic documents of Japan in cyber attacks targeting Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2020.