Jaxa: Japanese space agency JAXA hit with cyberattack

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was hit by a cyberattack where hackers were able to steal data. However, JAXAhas confirmed that the attackers failed to steal some sensitive data from the space agency. In a statement to Reuters, a company spokesperson noted that the information that was accessed by the hackers did not include anything important for rocket and satellite operations.
JAXA spokesperson said: “There was a possibility of unauthorised access by exploiting the vulnerability of network equipment.” however, the company didn’t elaborate on details such as when the attack took place.
How JAXA became aware of the cyberattack
The space agency also noted that it was informed about the possibility of unauthorised access by an external organisation. However, JAXA declined to identify the organisation’s name. Later, the space agency conducted an internal investigation to confirm the same. The agency’s spokesperson said that JAXA is currently investigating the latest data breach.

According to Japanese media, this cyberattack took place during the summer. Later, in autumn the country’s police became aware of the attack and notified JAXA. The Japanese space agency is working on new rocket and satellite launches. Apart from this, JAXA is also working on the country’s ongoing “Moon Sniper” mission which was initiated in September.
Major cyberattacks on Japanese agencies
In July, one of Japan’s busiest ports, the Nagoya port was hit by a ransomware attack. This cyberattack was reportedly orchestrated by the Russian cybercrime group LockBit.
Again, in August, Japan’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) was also crippled by a cyberattack. The agency that is responsible for the country’s defences against cyber attacks was reportedly exposed by hackers for several months.
Another report from the same month cited US officials claiming that Chinese hackers were successful in infiltrating classified Japanese defence networks in 2020. This raised concerns about the cyber defence capabilities of one of the US’ closest allies in Asia. However, these claims were denied by the Japanese government.