METI to form 'white-hat' hacker team at IPA, to launch in November; strengthen defenses with penetration tests and AI

According to reports including Jiji Press, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is gathering well-intentioned technicians with deep knowledge of cyber attacks — so-called "white-hat hackers" — to form a team that will support companies' cyber defense efforts. The team will be established within the ministry-affiliated independent administrative institution, the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA), and will also aim to secure and train personnel. With companies' consent, it is envisaged that the team will conduct penetration tests that simulate real attacks to identify system vulnerabilities.

Minister Akazawa announced plans to launch the initiative in November and said AI will be used for defensive purposes as well. As attackers increasingly leverage AI, the intent appears to be to institutionalize both the personnel and technical capabilities needed to identify vulnerabilities from an attacker’s perspective.

The move is driven by a surge in damage to domestic companies and institutions. In October alone, incidents included impacts on domestic services due to a PHP vulnerability, a CAPCOM ID data leak affecting about 11.77 million records, and unauthorized access to GMO Internet's VPS service for FX automated trading. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department convened an emergency meeting of critical infrastructure operators, and METI issued an advisory on October 9 in light of unauthorized access incidents.

While the IPA has previously published guidance on vulnerability countermeasures and the "Top 10 Information Security Threats," it would be unprecedented for a government-affiliated agency to permanently host a specialist team that proactively verifies vulnerabilities from an attacker's standpoint. Specifics such as the targets and scope of penetration tests and how support for small and medium-sized enterprises will be provided are expected to be released in future announcements.