Japan Forms AI Hacker Team as Critical PHP Vulnerabilities Trigger Millions of Global Cyberattacks

Japan Launches AI-Powered Defense Initiative

Japan will establish a team to simulate AI-powered cyberattacks to identify weaknesses in technology systems, Japanese Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa announced on Friday1

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. The Information-technology Promotion Agency, operating under his ministry, will form this AI-powered ethical hacking team in November to stage simulated attacks and expose vulnerabilities before criminals exploit them2

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. "An attack can succeed by getting through just one hole," Akazawa said, emphasizing the need to shift mindsets and think from an attacker's perspective3

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. He stressed that defenders must use AI in cybersecurity and respond proactively, staying one step ahead of emerging threats.

Critical Vulnerabilities in PHP Trigger Global Crisis

The announcement comes as organizations worldwide scramble to address critical PHP vulnerabilities that have roiled the global internet this week. Government and company websites across the world went offline after the disclosure prompted millions of hacking attempts, forcing operators to rush protective measures or temporarily shut down systems1

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. PHP developers released emergency fixes on Wednesday for vulnerabilities that had lurked in the software for years until AI uncovered them, urging users to "update immediately"5

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. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince reported that attempts to exploit the PHP security flaws had reached the millions2

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. Amazon detected an attempt to exploit these vulnerabilities on its decoy servers on October 17, four days before the security patches were released2

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Widespread Disruptions Across Japan

The extent of widespread disruptions became starkly apparent when Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank suspended its emergency alert system for mobile users at 06:47 Japan Standard Time on Friday while addressing a PHP vulnerability2

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. Customers will not receive early warnings for earthquakes, tsunami alerts, or disaster and evacuation information until the service is restored, expected on October 262

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. Emergency shutdowns from Tokyo to Helsinki of banking, airline, rail, tax and government services marked one of the most dramatic tests of decades-old programming tools that keep the web running1

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. Major Japanese organizations took precautionary measures, with brokerage Nomura, lender Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, airline ANA, and East Japan Railway (JR East) temporarily suspending internet services as part of emergency measures3

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. Japan's Ministry of Finance, National Tax Agency, and Meteorological Agency also suspended online services4

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Recovery and Ongoing Vulnerability Scanning

By Friday, some services began returning online after applying security patches. JR East reported that some group services had resumed while others would be restored once confirmed safe3

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. Nippon Paint applied a security patch as a precaution and restored its website1

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. Japanese officials have not confirmed any breaches linked to the flaws, though the incident has prompted organizations to review their systems and address potential security gaps4

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AI-Driven Defense Against Evolving Threats

The crisis highlights AI's dual role in modern cybersecurity. While AI helped uncover the PHP vulnerabilities, cybersecurity experts warn that attackers increasingly use AI to automate tasks from vulnerability scanning to crafting phishing campaigns, making cybercrime faster, cheaper, and harder to detect1

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. Eva Chen, CEO of Trend Micro, told Reuters that attackers are likely targeting Japanese businesses for their thorough records, which are no longer protected by language barriers because of AI5

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. She noted that Japan has been too comfortable with its existing infrastructure, believing it was safe enough3

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. The planned AI-powered cyberattack simulations aim to identify weaknesses through proactive threat detection before attackers exploit them, as governments and businesses face mounting pressure to strengthen digital defenses4

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