Tokyo, Oct. 31 (Jiji Press)–Users of the foreign exchange margin trading service affected by a cyberattack on GMO Internet Inc. have called on the company to explain how millions of yen in assets were lost virtually overnight. In the cyberattack, perpetrators gained unauthorized access to GMO Internet servers used to provide the Onamae.com Desktop Cloud margin trading service. A company worker in her 20s in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, discovered that she had fallen victim to the cyberattack on the morning of Oct. 22. In unauthorized transactions conducted around 5 a.m., some 50 trades were executed in roughly 3 minutes, causing her to lose 4.3 million yen, or almost all the assets in her account. “I trusted the service because it was operated by a major company,” she said. “I now feel uneasy about all kinds of services connected to the internet,” she continued. “I want (the company) to clarify what happened.” A 58-year-old trader in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, lost some 680,000 yen. His transaction history showed records of trades involving currencies such as the South African rand and Danish krone, which he did not usually trade. “I am distrustful (of GMO Internet) because the company had been aware of system vulnerabilities for some time but did nothing,” he said. “I remain unable to concentrate on my work because my computer may have been infected with a virus.” A 39-year-old public servant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, lost about 1 million yen in investments he had been saving for his two daughters’ education and his family’s future. He said the cyberattack had taken a heavy toll not only on his finances but also on his daily life and mental well-being. “The funds I had built up over time were gone in just a few minutes,” he said. “I feel devastated because what I had worked to do so hard for my family has become a source of great anxiety and distress.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
