Forwarded From: William Knowles <erehwonat_private> Rattled by computer security threats, Japan beefs up. TOKYO (AP) [2.6.99] At a secret location somewhere in Tokyo, dozens of specialists in cryptography and electronic media will soon be hard at work patrolling cyberspace. Due to open by July, the new headquarters for the National Police Agency's ``cyber-cop'' squad signals growing concern about computer security as more and more Japanese join the global online revolution. And while unauthorized computer snooping in Japan is less common than in the United States, a sharp jump in computer-related crimes in recent years has rattled authorities. The increase is no surprise - legally, Japan is a hacker's heaven. Breaking into a computer system isn't even a crime in Japan, which sets it apart from most other major industrialized nations. Hackers are free to peep at sensitive data stored in Japanese mainframes so long as they don't destroy or sell any of it. ``We have fallen behind other countries in this area,'' said Kei Hata, a member of Parliament who serves as deputy head of the ruling party's Internet policy committee. ``It's a problem which must be addressed quickly.'' Worry about the potential for computer-generated chaos has prompted Tokyo to draft legislation to outlaw unauthorized access. A bill is expected to be submitted in the current session of Parliament, which ends in June. The move comes amid pressure from Washington to bolster international efforts to fight crime in cyberspace and dismay in Japan over abuses such as the widespread transmission of child pornography and even poison sales via suicide-related Websites. The problem is still relatively new to Japan. In 1997, the number of high-tech crimes known to Japanese police climbed to 263, up from 178 the previous year and just 32 in 1993. Still, a recent NPA survey showed that only 4 percent of companies and colleges polled reported cases of unauthorized access serious enough to inflict damage on their computer systems. By comparison, the San Francisco-based Computer Security Institute and the FBI found that 64 percent of 520 U.S. corporations, government agencies, financial institutions and universities responding to a 1998 survey had at least one computer security violation within the previous 12 months. More than 70 percent suffered financial losses. Japanese police suspect the true number of computer crimes is much higher than the official figure, and note that many businesses keep security problems under wraps to avoid negative publicity. Companies are particularly reluctant to disclose entanglements with organized crime syndicates, known as the yakuza. ``The yakuza have moved into this field,'' said Shunichi Kawabe, an official in the NPA's information technology bureau. ``They are very interested in making money in this type of business.'' He said Internet-brokered gun trafficking, Web page-based pornography distribution and computer-generated financial fraud are among the areas suspected of being targeted. Thrill-seekers are also stirring up trouble. One hacker broke into a computer network used by the Hokkaido University of Education in northern Japan and gained access to login IDs and passwords used by about 1,000 employees and students. The university uncovered the security breach last month and shut down the entire network. Japan plans to step up computer training programs for police, but authorities acknowledge they have a long way to go before catching up with their counterparts in the United States. The good news for the cops is that Japanese hackers also lag behind their cohorts overseas. ``Domestic cyber-criminals are still low-tech,'' said Kawabe. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Internet Security Institute [www.isi-sec.com]
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