Japan Seeks Early Software Vulnerability Alerts

Japan plans to ask U.S. AI developers and overseas technology companies to provide software vulnerability information before public disclosure, aiming to prepare for cyberattacks. Reuters reported the plan on the 4th, citing Nikkei. The government wants to identify major security flaws early so government agencies and operators of critical infrastructure, including power and telecommunications providers, have time to prepare. The plan would move up the current response process, in which attackers exploit a flaw after a company announces it and organizations rush to issue emergency patches.

Amid large-scale cyberattacks in Japan and other countries, a serious flaw was found last month in PHP, a widely used web programming language. Millions of hacking attempts followed worldwide, and governments and companies temporarily suspended websites or took emergency security measures. According to Reuters’ report on the 23rd of last month, SoftBank temporarily suspended its emergency disaster alert service for mobile users. Nomura Securities, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, All Nippon Airways (ANA), and East Japan Railway (JR East) also halted some online services. Government agencies, including the Finance Ministry, National Tax Agency, and Japan Meteorological Agency, were affected.

At the time, the Japanese government said it would form a dedicated team to simulate cyberattacks with AI and find system vulnerabilities. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa said attackers need to find only one security gap to break in, and stressed that defenders must also use AI to respond ahead of attackers. Last month, Japan also asked OpenAI and Anthropic for broader access to advanced AI models. The plan is to help government agencies and critical infrastructure operators use AI to find software vulnerabilities and assess security.

The planned information-sharing request adds an outside source of vulnerability findings to that AI effort. Japan wants to use AI models to find flaws in its own systems while also receiving information earlier about vulnerabilities found by external technology companies. It is not yet known whether U.S. companies have agreed to provide information or how it would be shared. The Japanese government plans to announce urgent cybersecurity measures at a meeting of relevant ministers as early as the 6th. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed officials late last month to strengthen defenses in response to rising cyberattacks.

Japan plans to ask U.S. AI developers and overseas technology companies to provide software vulnerability information before public disclosure, aiming to prepare for cyberattacks. Reuters reported the plan on the 4th, citing Nikkei. The government wants to identify major security flaws early so government agencies and operators of critical infrastructure, including power and telecommunications providers, have time to prepare. The plan would move up the current response process, in which attackers exploit a flaw after a company announces it and organizations rush to issue emergency patches.

Amid large-scale cyberattacks in Japan and other countries, a serious flaw was found last month in PHP, a widely used web programming language. Millions of hacking attempts followed worldwide, and governments and companies temporarily suspended websites or took emergency security measures. According to Reuters’ report on the 23rd of last month, SoftBank temporarily suspended its emergency disaster alert service for mobile users. Nomura Securities, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, All Nippon Airways (ANA), and East Japan Railway (JR East) also halted some online services. Government agencies, including the Finance Ministry, National Tax Agency, and Japan Meteorological Agency, were affected.

At the time, the Japanese government said it would form a dedicated team to simulate cyberattacks with AI and find system vulnerabilities. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa said attackers need to find only one security gap to break in, and stressed that defenders must also use AI to respond ahead of attackers. Last month, Japan also asked OpenAI and Anthropic for broader access to advanced AI models. The plan is to help government agencies and critical infrastructure operators use AI to find software vulnerabilities and assess security.

The planned information-sharing request adds an outside source of vulnerability findings to that AI effort. Japan wants to use AI models to find flaws in its own systems while also receiving information earlier about vulnerabilities found by external technology companies. It is not yet known whether U.S. companies have agreed to provide information or how it would be shared. The Japanese government plans to announce urgent cybersecurity measures at a meeting of relevant ministers as early as the 6th. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed officials late last month to strengthen defenses in response to rising cyberattacks.