Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)–With an increasing number of firms in Japan falling prey to unauthorized access to their computer systems, major electronics makers are receiving a flurry of inquiries about their cyber defense services. Demand is expected to continue expanding as these electronics firms are reinforcing their services in anticipation of sophisticated cyberattacks taking advantage of artificial intelligence. “We are receiving more and more requests for consultations about how to ensure business continuity in the event of cyberattacks, from client companies responsible for critical infrastructure, such as power suppliers, transport service providers, manufacturers and financial service firms,” Kanako Gushi, senior consultant at Hitachi Ltd., said. Last month, the company started to provide a comprehensive service supporting operations such as monitoring and detecting risks of cyberattacks, and restoring affected systems leveraging state-of-the-art AI models of OpenAI and Anthropic of the United States. The Hitachi service has strength in using AI for cyberattack simulations and helping affected companies restore their systems without suspending their operations. “We will work with our clients to support resilience (of their systems),” Gushi stressed. Fujitsu Ltd. has been receiving a spate of inquiries from client firms since it announced a cyber defense strategy in late August. The number of inquiries “increased further” in the past few days, a public relations official said. On Oct. 1, Fujitsu set up a cyber defense-focused division consisting of about 100 personnel. The company assumes that the new division will offer advice on security-related investment in the future, in addition to responses to system shutdowns. NEC Corp. late last month launched a service in which AI automatically analyzes risks and draws up response policies, targeting financial institutions, manufacturers and distribution companies. The spread of online services has substantially increased the amounts of personal data held by corporations, leading to rises in damage from cyberattacks. A Fujitsu official expressed a sense of caution, saying, “There is a possibility that perpetrators are now able to conduct search for system vulnerabilities and cyberattacks on a wide scale very speedily as AI has become more intelligent.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
