222 Ransomware Attacks Reported in Japan in 2024: NPA

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police have received 222 reports of damage from ransomware attacks in 2024, up 25 from the previous year, National Police Agency data showed Thursday.

Ransomware attacks, in which attackers use a computer virus to encrypt data and demand payment to restore access, hit their second-highest annual total since police began gathering the statistics in 2020.

According to the results of a survey of companies that fell victim to such attacks, in 49.2 pct of cases it took at least a month until data access was restored, and over half of respondents said it cost 10 million yen or more to investigate the attacks. Cases that took longer to resolve tended to cost more for victims.

Of the victim companies, only 16.4 pct had drawn up business continuity plans that took into consideration possible cyberattacks. The proportion was 11.8 pct for businesses that took at least a month to resolve ransomware attacks and bore 10 million yen or more in costs.

The NPA also said that around 70 pct of the 259 people put under arrest or other enforcement action for alleged violations of the unauthorized computer access prohibition law were in their 10s to 20s. Those in their 20s totaled 105, while 72 were aged 14 to 19.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]