Chinese hackers reportedly infiltrated Japan's secret defense network

The Washington Post, an American daily newspaper, reported that Chinese military hackers had infiltrated Japan's secret defense network in 2020, based on the testimony of an anonymous former US government official. This cyber attack was detected by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and was reported to Japanese government officials as 'one of the most harmful hacks in Japan's modern history.'

China hacked Japan's classified defense cyber networks, officials say - The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/08/07/china-japan-hack-pentagon/

China has the world's largest hacker army and is said to be expanding its cyber attack power. According to the U.S. government and Western cybersecurity firms, intrusions by Chinese hacker groups into critical infrastructure networks such as telecommunications, transportation, and public utility systems will increase in the U.S., Guam, and the Asia-Pacific region from mid-2021 onwards. that's right.

According to The Washington Post, the NSA discovered in the fall of 2020 that ``Chinese military hackers had infiltrated Japan's classified defense network.'' Determining the cyberattack to be highly alarming, the United States government rushed General Paul Nakasone, former director of the NSA and the U.S. Cyber Command , and Matthew Pottinger, former White House National Security Advisor, to I made him head to Tokyo.

When General Nakasone and Mr. Pottinger explained the situation to senior officials of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Defense arranged to explain the situation directly to the Prime Minister due to the seriousness of the matter. Admiral Nakasone and Mr. Pottinger explained, 'China has infiltrated a classified defense network in Tokyo. This will be one of the most damaging hacks in Japan's modern history.' The Prime Minister was surprised and replied that he would consider countermeasures.

At that time, the presidential race was over in America, and it was time to transition from the Donald Trump administration to the Joe Biden administration. A senior NSA official handed over to the next presidential adviser, Jake Sullivan, that Japan's classified defense networks had been attacked, but a large-scale intrusion by Russia into US government agencies' networks during the Trump administration came to light. There were also problems such as, and it was said that it was postponed.

Nevertheless, the Japanese side used domestic companies to evaluate the vulnerability of the defense confidential network, and the NSA and the US Cyber Army took measures by examining the results and correcting them. However, a senior US government official testified, ``I felt that the Japanese side just wanted this hacking problem to fade away.'' Also, a former US military cybersecurity officer said, ``Japanese people felt uncomfortable with the participation of other countries' military forces in their networks.''

The reason why the Japanese side was distrustful of the United States was that it was revealed in 2015 that the NSA was wiretapping the Japanese government on the whistleblowing site 'WikiLeaks'. At this time, Vice President Biden (at that time) apologized to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by phone.

U.S. eavesdrops on Japanese government or ``WikiLeaks'' documents released-Nihon Keizai Shimbun
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASGM31H4W_R30C15A7EA2000/

When the Biden administration settled down in early 2021, the NSA realized that Chinese hackers still had access to Japan's classified defense networks. The Biden administration has appointed Ann Neuberger as deputy national security adviser for cyber and advanced technology, and will send Neuberger to Japan in November 2021 to defend against cyberattacks by Chinese hacker groups. I made the ministry officials and Japanese government officials explain again.

Regarding Mr. Neuberger's visit to Japan, the US Embassy in Japan has announced the following release.

Statement by National Security Council Spokesperson Emily Horne on Deputy National Security Advisor Ann Neuberger's Visit to Japan - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan
https://jp.usembassy.gov/ja/nsc-statement-dnsa-neubergers-travel-to-japan-ja/

However, to protect sensitive sources and methods, Neuberger could not explain how the NSA knew that a Chinese hacker had hacked into Japan's secret defense network. For that reason, it seems that it was difficult to wipe out the distrust of Japan, but in cooperation with Takeo Akiba , director of the National Security Agency, a new cyber strategy aimed at aligning cybersecurity standards with the United States and other countries. It is said that he started working on. As a result, Japan has announced that it will strengthen its network security under the supervision of the United States, increase its cybersecurity budget tenfold in five years, and increase its cybersecurity force to 4,000 people, four times the previous level.

“We have long been concerned about Chinese espionage,” said a former senior U.S. government official. Cyber attack power is also expanding.”