Cyber security you should know
Cyberattacks are no longer a problem that only a few large corporations face.
With the widespread adoption of generative AI, attacks are rapidly becoming automated and more sophisticated, exposing organizations of all sizes and industries to risk.
This page provides a foundational overview of modern cybersecurity, outlining the necessary measures for your company to understand it correctly.
- What is cyber security
- Latest trends in cyber security
- Three necessary measures for cyber security
- 3-1. Technical measures
- 3-2. Physical measures
- 3-3. Personnel measures
- summary
- What is cyber security
- Cybersecurity refers to all efforts to protect digital information, systems, and networks from threats such as unauthorized access, destruction, leakage, and tampering.
Article 2 of the Cybersecurity Basic Act, enacted in 2014, defines the secure management of information and ensuring the reliability of systems as its core principles.
■ Cybersecurity Basic Act (Act No. 104 of 2014)
Article 2 The term "cybersecurity" as used in this Act shall mean information recorded by electronic, magnetic, or other methods that cannot be recognized by human perception (hereinafter referred to as "electromagnetic methods" in this Article), or To prevent leakage, loss or damage of transmitted, transmitted or received information, take necessary measures for the safety management of such information, and ensure the safety and reliability of information systems and information communication networks. Necessary measures (measures necessary to prevent damage caused by illegal activities on computers through information communication networks or recording media for records made by electromagnetic methods (hereinafter referred to as "electromagnetic recording media")) ) is taken and its condition is properly maintained and managed.
Generally, cybersecurity measures are classified into three categories: "technical measures," "physical measures," and "human measures." The important thing is not to consider these individually, but to combine them to function effectively. If even one of them is lacking, the overall strength of security will decrease.
- Latest trends in cyber security
- The cybersecurity landscape today is rapidly changing, with new risks and threats emerging every day. Furthermore, in our highly organized information society, the amount of cyber threats is constantly increasing through various platforms such as websites, blogs, and social media.
Recent incident cases show that the methods used are becoming more sophisticated year by year. Elaborate phishing attacks exploiting AI generation, ransomware that disrupts businesses by demanding ransoms, supply chain attacks that use business partners and subcontractors as stepping stones, and zero-day attacks that exploit vulnerabilities immediately after they are made public—these are real threats that are causing widespread damage to companies both domestically and internationally.
Such attacks are not limited to specific industries or sizes; they can happen to any organization. Therefore, it's essential to obtain the latest information from reliable sources. We recommend checking the following websites for the latest cybersecurity trends.
2-1. Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA)
The Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) is an independent administrative agency under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, established to support domestic IT-related strategies. The "Information Security" page on the IPA website is updated daily with new information and security updates. It provides a wealth of information that serves as a guideline for how the country should proceed with information security measures. It is one of the sites that corporate information security personnel should regularly check.
https://www.ipa.go.jp/security/index.html
2-2. National Cyber Security Office (NCO)
The National Cyber Security Office (NCO) was established within the Cabinet Secretariat in July 2025, as a result of reorganizing and evolving the NISC (National Information and Communications Center). The organization itself is divided into several units that carry out their activities. The website mainly distributes activity reports and event information from meetings and gatherings held by the Japanese government. If you want to obtain information on national strategies specifically focused on cybersecurity, you should check the NCO website.
https://www.cyber.go.jp/
2-3. JPCERT/CC
JPCERT/CC publishes information on security attacks and service disruptions that have actually occurred on the internet. A key feature is its rapid provision of information on software and service vulnerabilities. The published information includes detailed descriptions of the version information of the vulnerable software or service, as well as the specific impact of the vulnerability.
By checking whether your company uses software or services that have vulnerabilities reported on this site, you can prevent security incidents from occurring.
https://www.jpcert.or.jp/
- Three necessary measures for cyber security
- So, what exactly is needed for cybersecurity measures?
We will explain the three general classifications of countermeasures: "technical measures," "physical measures," and "human measures."
3-1. Technical Measures
Technical countermeasures include implementing security products and taking steps to prevent intrusions.
It is also important to list and visualize as many of the measures that should be implemented as possible.
Since it may not be possible to implement all countermeasures immediately, start with the minimum necessary actions you can take. By discussing which countermeasures can be implemented within your company, you can also re-examine any issues in your cybersecurity measures.
<Examples of technical countermeasures>
- Implement a WAF (Web Application Firewall)
• Utilization of vulnerability management services (automation of risk assessment and patching)
- Considering the introduction of a zero-trust architecture
- Building a system for AI-powered threat detection and automated response - Continuous monitoring and optimization of security settings in cloud environments
- Regularly update the software libraries used.
- Regular vulnerability assessments of web applications and APIs
Some initiatives can be implemented solely through internal efforts, while others require the use of external services and products. It's crucial to determine what is appropriate for your company.
3-2. Physical countermeasures
Physical security measures are those that protect against physical factors such as unauthorized access to devices and equipment, theft, and natural disasters.
Even with the increasing prevalence of cloud computing, the risks of data breaches due to lost or stolen devices, or unauthorized physical access, still exist.
We don't know if this will actually happen, but let's take precautions just in case.
<Examples of physical countermeasures>
- Restriction of access to critical equipment and access control
• Rules for taking work devices outside the office and device encryption
- Establishment of a remote wiping system in case of loss or theft.
- Locking and managing the server room and network equipment.
・Implementation of biometric authentication and multi-factor authentication
3-3. Human Resources Measures
Human-based measures involve setting rules for security.
Even with comprehensive technical measures in place, incidents caused by human actions will never disappear.
The importance of security education is increasing, but in recent years, social engineering attacks using sophisticated fake emails, fake websites, and fake voices generated by AI have surged, making traditional education that only teaches people how to spot suspicious activity insufficient.
<Examples of human resource measures>
- Training to respond to phishing and impersonation attacks that exploit generated AI.
- Implement passwordless authentication and password managers
- Company-wide deployment of multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Regular security training and incident response drills
- Establishment of reporting and escalation flows in the event of an incident.
- Setting security standards for business partners, including those in the supply chain.
By implementing three measures—technological, physical, and human—safety can be further enhanced.
- summary
- In this article, we briefly explained trends in cyber security and what measures should be taken. I believe that understanding cyber security is necessary for individuals and organizations to protect themselves.
Also, you are not the victim, but the perpetrator, causing trouble to others. In addition to attacks on servers and personal computers, there is also the possibility of being directly deceived or damaged by e-mails and messages.
We would appreciate it if you could keep in mind that those who think they cannot be deceived or who think that they will not be harmed are more likely to be harmed when they are attacked by a malicious third party.
In the midst of the shortage of security personnel, we are always collecting as much information as possible, not to mention the information on the web, and we are gradually trying to find out what tricks are available and whether our computers and smartphones are up to date. It's also important to be aware.