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The
National Police Agency said its analysis on the targets, methods
and infrastructure of the cyberattacks by MirrorFace from 2019
to 2024 concluded they were systematic attacks linked to China
with an aim of stealing data on Japanese national security and
advanced technology.
The targets of the Chinese government-led cyberattacks included
Japan's Foreign and Defense ministries, the country's space
agency and individuals including politicians, journalists,
private companies and think tanks related to advanced
technology, the NPA said.
Experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the vulnerability
of Japan’s cybersecurity, especially as the country steps up its
defense capabilities and works more closely with the United
States and other partners to strengthen cyber defenses. Japan
has taken steps but experts say more work is needed.
MirrorFace sent emails with attachments containing malware to
targeted organizations and individuals to view data saved on
computers mainly from December 2019 to July 2023, often from
Gmail and Microsoft Outlook addresses using stolen identities,
the NPA investigation found.
The emails typically used as subjects key words such as
“Japan-U.S. alliance,” “Taiwan Strait,” “Russia-Ukraine war” and
“free and open Indo-Pacific," and included an invitation for a
study panel, references and a list of panelists, the NPA said.
In another tactic, the hackers targeted Japanese organizations
in areas of aerospace, semiconductors, information and
communications from February to October 2023 by exploiting
vulnerabilities in virtual private networks to gain unauthorized
access to information.
The attacks included one on the Japan Aerospace and Exploration
Agency, or JAXA, which acknowledged in June it had suffered a
series of cyberattacks since 2023, though sensitive information
related to rockets, satellites and defense was not affected. It
was investigating to take preventive measures.
Last year, a cyberattack paralyzed operations at a container
terminal at a port in the city of Nagoya for three days.
More recently, Japan Airlines was hit by a cyberattack on
Christmas, causing delays and cancellations to more than 20
domestic flights, though the carrier was able to stop the
onslaught and restore its systems hours later and there was no
impact on flight safety.
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