Japanese firms issue payouts after high-stakes cyberattacks

GMO Internet, a firm valued at $2.6 billion, confirmed an unauthorized breach of its foreign exchange platform. CEO Masatoshi Kumagai announced a 5,000 yen payout to every customer as an initial gesture of good faith, even as the company’s stock price tumbled 11% in Tokyo trading. The firm refused a ransom demand from attackers who threatened to leak sensitive customer data, opting instead to coordinate a response with local law enforcement. This incident follows a wider wave of disruptions linked to critical flaws in the PHP programming language, which triggered millions of global hacking attempts last week.

Park24, the operator of the Times car-sharing service, also committed to 3,000 yen payments following a separate personal data breach. These incidents highlight a growing crisis as cybercriminals utilize automated AI tools to scan for weaknesses and launch phishing campaigns at unprecedented speeds. In response, the Japanese government plans to deploy AI-driven simulations to stress-test technology systems and identify systemic vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.