Ransomware Attacks Hit Record High in Japan in 2022

Tokyo, March 16 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police received 230 reports of damage from ransomware attacks in 2022, hitting a record high, National Police Agency data showed Thursday.

The attacks, reported in 37 of Japan's 47 prefectures, included those by hackers encrypting data in computers of companies and other victims and demanding money in exchange for restoring the data.

Of the 182 cases in which police identified the methods of attacks, 119 were of victims told to pay ransom in order to reverse the encryption or not to have the stolen data be released.

Some hackers made the two requests at once. In some cases, victims received a second request when they contacted the hackers as requested.

The NPA started compiling data on ransomware attacks in April 2020. That year, only 23 cases were confirmed, followed by 146 cases in 2021.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]