Years-long hacking spree against Japan linked to Chinese hackers

Chinese hacking operation MirrorFace was reported by Japan’s National Police Agency to have perpetrated over 200 cyberattacks against the country’s Foreign and Defense ministries, space agency, tech firms and think tanks, and high-profile individuals aimed at compromising the country’s national security and advanced technology data between 2019 and 2024, according to The Associated Press.

Aside from targeting Japanese organizations and individuals with malware via phishing emails with lures related to the Japan-U.S. alliance, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and the Taiwan Strait from December 2019 to July 2023, MirrorFace also set its sights on the Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency and the country’s other aerospace, IT, semiconductor, and communications firms in intrusions involving VPN exploits from February to July 2023, said the NPA, which urged organizations to implement more robust cybersecurity defenses. Such a development comes after Japan Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, had its flights temporarily disrupted in a Christmas cyberattack.