Page 23 - Aruba Today

TECHNOLOGY A23
Monday 9 November 2015

Japan its own enemy in push to improve cybersecurity

GERRY SHIH With evidence from the posed a threat to privacy. a security firm. “The reality nancial incentives for

Associated Press contractors pooled to- But the problem may be is companies either have firms that demonstrate im-

OKINAWA, Japan (AP) — gether, Nawa matched particularly acute for Ja- been hacked or will be proved security capabili-

Apart from rogue hack- the digital fingerprints to a pan’s private sector be- hacked. My message is, ties and requiring compa-

ers, criminal organizations Mexican group that he be- hemoths and government ‘It’s not your fault.’” nies to fill a chief cyberse-

or even state-backed cy- lieves was responsible for a ministries — sprawling bu- In 2013, the latest year of curity officer role.

berwarfare units, Japan’s previous attack on Japa- reaucracies wrapped in available data, the Japa- The Cabinet report also

businesses and govern- nese diplomatic servers. a “negative culture that nese government net- highlighted the issue of

ment agencies are fac- The breach was patched, cuts against wanting to work faced an eightfold disclosure, saying “it is es-

ing a unique cybersecurity but Nawa walked away communicate quickly,” increase in cyberattacks sential to relieve (network)

foe: themselves. flustered. said William H. Saito, the from two years prior, with operators’ psychological

Even with the frequency “In the U.S., if they find a top cybersecurity adviser attacks spreading into civil burden of possibly losing

and severity of cyberat- problem, they have to re- to Prime Minister Shinzo infrastructure, as well as credit or ruining reputation

tacks booming worldwide, port,” he said. “The Japa- Abe. the telecommunications of their business if provid-

efforts by the world’s ing information to

No. 3 economic pow- others.”

er to improve its data Jim Foster, a former

security are being U.S. diplomat and

hobbled by a wide- Microsoft Japan ex-

spread corporate ecutive who heads

culture that views se- the Keio Interna-

curity breaches as a tional Center for the

loss of face, leading Internet and Society

to poor disclosure of in Tokyo, said the

incidents or informa- fast-evolving threat

tion sharing at critical of hacking poses a

moments, Japanese looming challenge

experts and govern- for Japanese in-

ment officials say. dustry, which never

Improving cyberse- developed a deep

curity practices has pool of cybersecurity

emerged as a top expertise with active

national priority for exchange of ideas

Japan, stung in re- and know-how.

cent years by embar- “Japanese compa-

rassing leaks at Sony nies grew up too big

Pictures, the national too quick and didn’t

pension fund and have to cooperate

its biggest defense or rely on outside ex-

contractor, Mitsubi- pertise,” he said. “But

shi Heavy Industries, In this Dec. 18, 2014 file photo, a man walks out from the headquarters of Sony Corp. in Tokyo. now there’s this new

which possibly suf- Associated Press threat unlike any-

fered the theft of subma- nese engineer feels he While rank-and-file work- and energy sectors. thing else and things sud-

rine and missile designs. fails his duty if he esca- ers fear reports of security Against that backdrop, denly get difficult.”

Toshio Nawa, a top Japa- lates a report. They feel lapses may get them pun- the Abe administration has But changing habits is

nese security consultant ashamed.” ished, the problem reflects pinpointed the 2020 Tokyo hard, said Nawa, the se-

who is advising the Tokyo To be sure, the cyberse- a broad lack of under- Olympics as a chance to curity adviser for the Olym-

2020 Olympics organizers, curity industry around the standing of cybersecurity upgrade Japan’s national pics, who is now holding

said he encountered a world, not just in Japan, in the Japanese C-suite, security capabilities while simulations and educa-

telling instance this sum- frequently echoes the call Saito said in an interview calling for a more hands- tional sessions around the

mer when he was called for greater transparency on the sidelines of the Cy- on government role to country, where he empha-

to investigate a breach at within and among orga- ber3 conference in Oki- nudge companies to take sizes to security engineers

a major Japanese govern- nizations. The U.S. Senate nawa. cybersecurity seriously. — who do not necessarily

ment agency. last month passed the “This is Japanese culture A Cabinet-level cyber- lack technical chops —

Nawa found that five dif- Cybersecurity Information where in some situations security agency in Sep- the importance of sharing

ferent cybersecurity con- Sharing Act to ease data the upper management tember published a strat- findings and speaking up

tractors employed by the sharing between private doesn’t know how to use egy paper that proposed, when they spot a problem.

agency had discovered companies and the gov- email and IT integration is among other things, ex- He said he uses a simple

the breach — but that not ernment for security pur- voodoo magic,” said U.S.- tending government-run mantra on the training cir-

one reported or shared poses, although civil liber- born Saito, also an execu- cybersecurity classes to cuit: “What I say is: ‘Please

their findings. ties advocates warned it tive at Palo Alto Networks, companies, awarding fi- remove your pride.’”q