Japan detects use of Chinese AI tool in cyber attacks

A japanese cybersecurity company GMO confirmed the use of a Chinese artificial intelligence tool (IA) in computer attacks against about 20 companies in Japan after similar incidents against South Korean financial institutions.

“ During an investigation into the infrastructure of origin of the attacks, in the context of a security breach directed at Japanese companies, we confirmed the use of Artex, an autonomous AI-based intrusion testing system,” GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae, a subsidiary of the Japanese technological conglomerate GMO, said on Monday.

The investigating officer, Daiki Fukumori, explained that the tool was identified in attacks against about two dozen Japanese companies, half of which belonged to the same sector of activity.

This concentration led researchers to suspect the existence of cyber attacks campaigns “directed by country and sector”, through the use of different servers.

The discovery arises after the CrowdStrike cybersecurity multinational revealed earlier this month that Artex was used in a campaign of attacks against South Korea's financial institutions.

Fukumori said that there are suspicions that Japanese companies are being attacked with the same methods.

In recent months, a wave of cyberattacks in Japan exposed the personal data of millions of people, affecting companies from various sectors and public bodies.

The situation led the head of the Democratic Liberal Party’s cybersecurity strategy, Masaaki Taira, to say that the country faces a “state of emergency in cyberspace”.