Russian Hackers Claim Responsibility of Cyberattack on Japan’s Government Website

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) confirmed that a cyberattack briefly disrupted its website earlier this week, coinciding with the start of the country’s general election campaign, Public Relations Office of Japan reported on October 17.

During a press conference, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki said that Japan’s cyber agencies had responded to the incident with appropriate security measures and are currently investigating the breach.

The LDP website was hit by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Ocober 15, just as the 12-day campaign period for the election of the House of Representatives began—a key component of Japan’s parliamentary system.

Reportedly, other state-run entities, including some local government websites, were also impacted by DDoS attacks on the same day, with some being temporarily taken offline.

Several pro-Russian hacker groups, including NoName057(16) and the Cyber Army of Russia, claimed responsibility for the attacks on Japanese institutions, including the LDP.

The groups cited Japan’s upcoming joint military exercise with the US, set to take place later this month near Russia’s borders, as the reason for their actions.

“We are punishing Russophobic Japan and reminding them that any actions against Russia can end badly,” NoName057(16) said in a statement.

The hackers also claimed to have targeted various Japanese institutions, including shipbuilding companies, legal firms, and financial services.

Earlier, The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have imposed new sanctions on members of the Russian cybercriminal group Evil Corp, known for its attacks using the Dridex malware, which has caused significant damage in over 40 countries.