Over 80 per cent of scam emails globally targeted Japan in May: security firm
Of the record-high 770 million scam emails sent globally in May, Proofpoint analysed 240 million containing sender data and found 81.4 per cent 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 analyses 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 unauthorised 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 programme 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 organised attack led by a foreign government," Sota said, calling on Japanese companies to enhance cybersecurity measures such as adopting multi-factor authentication. - Bernama-Kyodo
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
5 minutes ago
- The Star
Jerantut OCPD dies of heart attack
KUANTAN: Jerantut OCPD Supt Zukri Muhammad died of a heart attack at his home in Taman Saujana Utama, Jerantut, Saturday (July 26). Pahang police chief Comm Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman confirmed this, saying that Supt Zukri, 59, was pronounced dead at about 3pm Saturday. "His remains will be laid to rest at the Felda Krau Muslim Cemetery in Raub after Maghrib prayers today," he said when contacted by Bernama. Comm Yahaya extended his condolences to Supt Zukri's family and prayed that his soul would be placed among the righteous. Supt Zukri, who was appointed Jerantut OCPD in April last year, was due for mandatory retirement next month. - Bernama
The Star
35 minutes ago
- The Star
Ex-Hong Kong social worker given community service for defrauding authorities
A retired Hong Kong social worker behind a dropped legal challenge arising from the San Tin Technopole project has been sentenced to community service for defrauding authorities out of HK$16,780 (US$2,138) in welfare benefits. Eastern Court on Thursday adopted a probation officer's recommendation to sentence Eddie Tse Sai-kit to 120 hours of unpaid community work after his lawyer said he 'recklessly' understated his earnings to obtain four months' worth of welfare allowances last year. A presentencing report cited the 68-year-old defendant as saying he had mistakenly believed that he only needed to report his average monthly income over the year in his application to the Social Welfare Department. Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai at one point questioned whether the court should accept the 68-year-old defendant's earlier guilty plea, before concluding that his failure to make an accurate declaration went beyond mere negligence and deserved criminal sanction. Cheung also noted that Tse had admitted wrongdoing at the first opportunity and was remorseful. Tse was arrested early this year while he was challenging an environmental impact assessment report that endorsed the development of a technology hub near the mainland Chinese border. Despite securing permission from the High Court to commence judicial review proceedings, Tse later dropped the case, citing 'widespread harassment and intimidation'. A pro-Beijing newspaper had also depicted Tse as an activist 'disrupting Hong Kong' by blindly opposing development under the guise of promoting environmental preservation. According to a prosecution case summary, Tse applied for an Old Age Living Allowance of HK$4,195 in June 2023 and claimed his monthly income was HK$5,000, which was below the limit of HK$10,710 at the time. He received a total of HK$80,460 from the department between July 2023 and December 2024. But the social worker failed to declare his earnings from Polytechnic University, where he had worked as a part-time fieldwork supervisor from January 2021 to May this year. Tse earned an additional monthly salary of between HK$6,000 and HK$19,200 from June to December last year for his work at the university, according to the summary. He also failed to notify the department that he had accepted a one-off 'honorarium' of HK$24,000 from the Social Workers Registration Board for serving on its disciplinary committee panel. An investigation concluded Tse would not have been entitled to the monthly allowance in July, August, November and December last year – an amount totalling HK$16,780 – if he had not concealed his income. Tse pleaded guilty earlier this month to four counts of fraud. Magistrate Cheung had ordered that Tse pay HK$16,780 in compensation to the department as part of his penalty. The defence said in a previous hearing that Tse had retired from social work after his arrest. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Sun
Rampaging driver crashes into four vehicles in George Town
GEORGE TOWN: A chaotic road rampage left six people injured after a driver in a Proton X70 collided with four vehicles at multiple locations in George Town. The incident occurred along Jalan Perak and the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway last night, leaving a trail of destruction. Northeast district police chief ACP Abdul Rozak Muhammad confirmed that the 50-year-old driver first rear-ended a Perodua Myvi at a traffic light junction on Jalan Perak. 'The man then continued driving and hit two motorcycles, a Honda Vario and a Honda C100 at separate locations on Jalan Perak, before rear-ending a Honda City on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Highway,' he said. The driver of the Myvi sustained minor injuries, while the Proton X70 driver and five others suffered serious harm. Among the injured were a 56-year-old rider and a 15-year-old pillion passenger of the Honda C100, a 29-year-old Honda Vario rider, and a 29-year-old Honda City driver. All victims are locals and are currently receiving treatment at Penang Hospital. Authorities are investigating the case under Section 42 of the Road Transport Act 1987. - Bernama
