Japan to Bolster Threat Hunting for Critical Infrastructure Systems

Tokyo, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government plans to bolster efforts in cooperation with the private sector in fiscal 2027 to probe whether attackers have infiltrated and remained hidden in systems of critical infrastructure operators such as power utilities and telecommunications companies.

The government will develop methods to detect cyberattacks based on information regarding threats and share them with private-sector firms, in order to prevent possible crises caused by infrastructure shutdowns during a contingency.

Threat hunting, or searching for hidden threats in systems, is one of the methods of active cyberdefense, related legislation for which took effect on Thursday. The government's National Cybersecurity Office will use specific information on possible threats to recreate attacks in a virtual environment and develop and test threat detection methods that can be used by the private sector.

The Defense Ministry will also provide direct assistance, including dispatching personnel to critical infrastructure operators at their request, drawing on its threat-hunting capabilities developed through the Self-Defense Forces' information systems.

The NCO and the Defense Ministry included related expenses in their budget requests for fiscal 2027.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]