Japanese virtual desktop cloud hacked so hard it asks to be banned
Japanese internet service provider GMO Internet has admitted that an unauthorized third party breached its Onamae.com Desktop Cloud service. The platform, which is marketed as an ideal environment for foreign exchange trading, suffered malicious program installations across customer server environments. CEO Masatoshi Kumagai acknowledged that the company was slow to improve security and warned that artificial intelligence tools have lowered the barrier for cyberattacks. The breach has potentially affected 26,739 virtual desktop servers, prompting the company to warn users of impending ransomware attacks and leading to calls for national cyber defenses.
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- ✓ GMO Internet warned customers that its Onamae.com Desktop Cloud service was compromised by an attacker who installed malicious programs in some customer server environments.
- ✓ CEO Masatoshi Kumagai acknowledged that the company was slow to fix security holes in the service used for foreign exchange trading.
- ✓ The breach potentially affected 26,739 virtual desktop servers.
What changed
GMO Internet CEO Masatoshi Kumagai admitted to slow security fixes and asked Japan to implement national-level cyber defenses following the massive breach.
Live updates
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Japanese Cloud Provider Hacked and Urges Ban
Japanese internet service provider GMO Internet has admitted that an unauthorized third party breached its Onamae.com Desktop Cloud service. The platform, which is marketed as an ideal environment for foreign exchange trading, suffered malicious program installations across customer server environments. CEO Masatoshi Kumagai acknowledged that the company was slow to improve security and warned that artificial intelligence tools have lowered the barrier for cyberattacks. The breach has potentially affected 26,739 virtual desktop servers, prompting the company to warn users of impending ransomware attacks and leading to calls for national cyber defenses.
Why it matters
Cyberattacks are increasingly buffeting the Japanese economy, leading affected companies to compensate users and forcing government action. Takaichi is holding a cybersecurity meeting to address the growing volume of attacks. Meanwhile, separate reports have linked a Chinese AI tool to hacks within the country.
What is confirmed
- GMO Internet warned customers that its Onamae.com Desktop Cloud service was compromised by an attacker who installed malicious programs in some customer server environments.
- CEO Masatoshi Kumagai acknowledged that the company was slow to fix security holes in the service used for foreign exchange trading.
- The breach potentially affected 26,739 virtual desktop servers.
Still unconfirmed
- A Chinese AI tool is linked to recent hacks in Japan.
What to watch next
- Outcomes and announcements from Takaichi's scheduled cybersecurity meeting.
- Further updates from GMO Internet regarding customer data theft and ransomware threats.
confidence 95%Sources used for this update (9)
- Reuters — Japanese companies compensate users as cyberattacks buffet economy
- The Register — Japanese virtual desktop cloud hacked so hard it asks to be banned
- Bloomberg.com — Japan’s Takaichi to Hold Cybersecurity Meeting as Attacks Grow
- Yahoo Finance UK — Japan’s GMO Internet warns users of impending ransomware attack
- WSJ — Chinese AI Tool Linked to Hacks in Japan
- assets.theregister.com — Japanese virtual desktop cloud hacked so hard it asks to be ...
- article.wn.com — Japanese virtual desktop cloud hacked so hard it asks to be ...
- news.lavx.hu — Japanese virtual desktop cloud hacked; CEO asks for national ...
- windowsforum.com — GMO Onamae.com Desktop Cloud Breach: Customer Data Stolen and ...
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