---
title: "Pro-Russian hacktivists attack Japan’s Government Websites! | Phish Protection"
description: "Cyberattacks are no longer restricted to just corporate enterprises and individuals."
image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/pro-russian-hacktivists-attack-japans-government-websites.png"
canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/pro-russian-hacktivists-attack-japans-government-websites/"
---

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![Phish Protection blog post image](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2024/10/prevent-spear-phishing-7712.jpg) 

Cyberattacks are no longer restricted to just corporate enterprises and individuals. Rather, state-sponsored cyberattacks have witnessed a[steep upsurge](https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RWZb5v?culture=en-ca&country=ca)in recent times.

These attacks are a reflection of the ongoing geo-political tensions and pose a serious threat to public safety , national security, and major global infrastructures.

The primary targets are[water treatment plants](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/19/politics/cyberattacks-water-systems-us/index.html),[power grids](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chinese-hackers-targeted-7-indian-power-hubs-govt-says-ops-failed-101649356540330.html), and[healthcare systems](https://www.wtwco.com/en-us/insights/2023/05/state-sponsored-threats-faced-by-the-healthcare-industry#:~:text=In%20November%202022%2C%20HC3%20issued,gain%20access%20to%20healthcare%20networks.). This sudden spike in state-sponsored cyberattacks requires immediate global attention and effective remedial measures to**preserve and protect geopolitical stability**.

In a recent turn of events, two Russian hacker groups managed to penetrate deep into the Japanese

Liberal Democratic Party’s website

. The attack took place at a time when election campaigns were going on in Japan. The severe breach exposed Japan’s**cyber insufficiency and served**as a wake-up call against the heightened instances of state-backed cyberattacks.

![Prevent spear phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2024/10/prevent-spear-phishing-7712.jpg) 

### A multi-front cyberattack on Japan’s government!

The attack was no longer restricted to just**Japan’s political and government organizations**. Rather, the DDoS attacks were designed to disrupt the functioning of other significant infrastructures, such as shipbuilding firms, manufacturing companies, and logistics. The idea was to expose[Japan’s vulnerability](https://www.reuters.com/world/glitch-japans-plans-bolster-us-defence-2024-04-26/)in front of the world and pressure the East Asian country. The pro-Russian hacktivists carried out the attack on 14th October. The same two pro-Russian hacktivists have also attacked Ukraine and other European targets earlier this year.

The[threat attack](/content/office-365-phishing-protection/advanced-threat-protection)was not restricted to the website of the**state government**. Other local government websites were badly impacted, too, forcing them to go offline. 

Experts believe that the attack was the result of the ongoing election campaigning in Japan. The elected leader is not a Russian supporter and is highly critical of the**Russian attack on Ukraine**. Also, Japan’s involvement with the US for military exercises and ballistics missile tests can also be a reason behind the

state-sponsored cyberattack on Japan

.

Japan has been battling Russia and China for some time now. This simmering geopolitical rivalry has resulted in a number of**serious policies**, frameworks, and strong political steps. Japan’s government has been increasing its[military expenditures](https://apnews.com/article/japan-military-budget-us-china-missile-5e1e2c40890b3ca8ea682c2dc91f9553), which is also eventually boosting the tension between Japan and Russia.

Kazuhiko Aoki, the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, has confirmed that the \*\*government’s cyber agencies \*\* have already been investigating the cyberattack. He also assured that ‘active’ security measures are already being implemented to restrict the impact of the DDoS attack. 

Aoki went ahead and said that the Japanese government is totally aware of the ongoing cyber trends as well as \*\* sophisticated DDoS attacks\*\* . They believe that the threat groups were trying to create chaos and grab attention during the election season. Back in September, a couple of pro-Russian hacktivists, including NoName057(16), launched a similar

DDoS attack

on[Austrian websites](https://therecord.media/austria-websites-ddos-incidents-pro-russia-hacktivists)during their election time.

The**National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy**for[Cybersecurity](/phishing/cybersecurity-emerging-threats-phishing-email-security-malware)is working closely with concerned authorities and relevant authorities to study the situation, dissect the attack and come up with solutions that help limit the overall damage done by the pro-Russian hackers.

The Japanese government is hell-bent on safeguarding elections- the foundational pillar of democracy, and they are determined to go above and beyond to track and nab the perpetrators.

### Pro-Russian threat actors and their motive behind the attack!

> “Zero-day phishing URLs have an average lifespan of just 12 hours before they’re added to blocklists. During that window, traditional signature-based filters are blind. Our real-time behavioral analysis catches these threats by pattern, not by signature - which is how we detect attacks that no database has seen yet.” - **Adam Lundrigan**, CTO, DuoCircle

NoName057(16) and the Russian Cyber Army Team are the two**state-sponsored hackers**who led this malicious[DDoS attack](https://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/cyber-security/what-is-ddos/)on Japan’s government. They started their operations back in 2022\. After the recent attack, the threat group claimed responsibility for the same in a Telegram update. 

They mentioned that the ultimate goal of this attack was to cripple Tokyo’s military capabilities and restrict its collaboration with the US military. As per a Tokyo-based news agency[NHK](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20241012%5F07/), the \*\*Russian foreign ministry \*\* highly disapproved of Japan’s policy of military expansion recently. The threat group clearly stated that they would leave no stone unturned to punish and crush Russophobic Japan’s every attempt.

The hacktivists said that this attack was a countermeasure against Japan’s anti-Russian attempts . They claimed to have attacked different Japanese institutions,**financial services**, and legal counseling agencies. Some[local media agencies](https://rocket-boys.co.jp/9604/)even confirmed these claims.

### State-sponsored or not???

Although the two groups of**hacktivists**

- NoName057 and the Russian Cyber Army Team, openly show their support and loyalty towards Russia, the authorities don’t have adequate proof to establish a solid connection between the attack and the Russian government.
![Most Common Cyber Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2024/10/Most-Common-Cyber-Attacks.jpg) 

The two threat groups do pursue the objectives and priorities of the Russian government, yet there is no clear evidence of their being a part of the same. Experts have not been able to figure out whether or not these two[hacking groups](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/23/politics/iranian-hackers-probed-us-election-websites/index.html)are a part of \*\*Russia’s intelligence agency \*\* operation or military group.

The two activists have carried out around 60 attacks against 19 different anti-Russian targets so far.

### Lessons learned

Japan’s Cybersecurity Strategy Headquarters recognizes the seriousness of the situation and has taken major steps, including substantial investments in**cyber defense**technologies. The Japanese government is also collaborating closely with the private sector to develop a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model aimed at combating cyber criminals and enhancing[phishing protection](/).

Japan is working towards deepening its collaboration with**global cybersecurity organizations**in order to create a united, international front that would combat state-sponsored cyberattacks. They also have plans to share[threat intelligence](https://www.ibm.com/topics/threat-intelligence)and offer coordinated responses with allies.

The DDoS attack on Japan’s government is a staggering reminder that state-sponsored[cyberattacks](/cybersecurity/the-uae-witnessing-a-staggering-surge-in-cyberattack-incidents)are the latest form of warfare.

Biochemical weapons and artilleries

have now been replaced by**sophisticated cyberattacks**. The latter is deadlier as it tends to be an invisible and unexpected attack. 

Cyber warfare is real and is here to stay for long. Nations across the globe must join hands against cyber warfare and take stringent measures to combat hacktivists and their \*\*state-of-the-art tactics \*\* and efforts. Strict[cybersecurity laws](https://riskxchange.co/1006994/what-to-know-about-cybersecurity-law/)and frameworks across all industries can also significantly reduce the chances of such attacks. Raising public awareness is also an important step toward safeguarding a country and its people from state-sponsored cyberattacks.

## Topics

[ Cybersecurity ](/tags/cybersecurity/) 

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) 

[ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) 

General Manager

Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across DuoCircle's 2,000+ customer base.

[LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) 

## Protect your inbox from phishing attacks

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