Over 80% of scam emails globally targeted Japan in May: security firm
Of the record-high 770 million scam emails sent globally in May, Proofpoint analyzed 240 million containing sender data and found 81.4 percent of those targeted Japanese speakers, the company said in a recent report.
"Fraudulent emails were easily spotted previously because of unnatural wording, but the advancement of generative AI has helped produce natural sentences, enabling them to break through the language barrier," Proofpoint Japan's Yukimi Sota said.
According to Proofpoint, which says it analyzes around a quarter of emails sent globally, the volume of nefarious emails started increasing sharply around the time when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
There were 100 million to 200 million such emails sent each month before 2025, but that figure surged to more than 500 million per month this year, the company said.
Many are phishing emails sent from addresses posing as securities firms. They guide recipients to fake websites that are used to steal personal information such as email addresses and passwords, giving hackers the ability to hijack accounts.
If corporate email and security credentials are stolen, it could give attackers access to unauthorized internal communication systems on which further phishing emails can be sent.
According to Sota, the majority of email scams targeting Japan used a specific cybercrime program that uses the Chinese language. The number of such emails plunged during the Lunar New Year from late January to early February.
"Their unprecedented scale and sophisticated methods raise a possibility of an organized attack led by a foreign government," Sota said, calling on Japanese companies to enhance cybersecurity measures such as adopting multi-factor authentication.
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Kyodo News
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- Kyodo News
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Kyodo News
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The Trump administration correctly aims to shift some of the burden of mutual defense to its Asian allies, including the Philippines, to save money and keep direct exposure of U.S. troops at a lower level in the South China Sea. This implies greater defense spending by Manila, but also more U.S. support for Philippine capabilities to counter Chinese gray zone tactics in the South China Sea. Some of this is indeed happening – including help for Philippine base upgrades and projects such as the recently announced boat repair facility in Palawan, located near the flashpoint of Second Thomas Shoal. However, some U.S. actions are escalatory. The most dangerous development is the alliance creep toward the Taiwan theater. New U.S. military sites have mostly been located close to the Bashi Channel that separates the main Philippine island of Luzon from Taiwan, and far from the South China Sea. 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It should also actualize economic initiatives such as the Luzon Economic Corridor as soon as possible. A strategy of non-escalatory balancing by mainly strengthening Philippine capacities in all dimensions is far safer than accelerating bloc formation and expanding U.S. military deployments. A focus along these lines in this week's meetings could strengthen the alliance for the long haul. Ultimately the rise of economically capable and autonomous middle powers in Asia is the surest way to both reduce a frontal U.S. military role and achieve a stable and sustainable region. Such a nuanced strategy can help check Beijing's worst tendencies – but also limit risk-taking by Washington and other Asian states. The Philippines-U.S. alliance could be an exemplar of this approach if both allies want it to be so.
