Vulnerability Audit Before 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Launches in Japan

The Japanese government is seen as very proactive in its goal of making the 2020 Tokyo Olympics secure as possible, yes including the sector of cybersecurity. Headed by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, a nationwide cybersecurity survey starting in February will include checking of Internet-facing routers, webcams, and web-connected home appliances. Aside from the Olympics next year, the Land of the Rising Sun is also hosting the Group 20 and the Rugby World Cup this 2019, which requires strong readiness when it comes to cyber attacks.

Internet Service Providers operating in Japan will undergo regular audits; the government is expected to check around 200 million network gears, including routers in Internet cafes. But audits will not include personal smartphones and home PCs.

“Too often, we see webcams, for example, that are already being hacked because security settings are too simple and their images are being seen by outsiders. Sometimes they are put on public websites without the owners being aware. We will see, of roughly 200 million products to be surveyed, how many are being exposed [to risks],” explained Tsutomu Yoshida, IT Program Manager Cisco Systems Japan.

The audit will give ISPs more information, especially if they have customers using devices that are vulnerable. Security professionals are recommending for years to use complex passwords for their devices, as simple passwords are easy to guess and exploitable via dictionary attacks.
Vulnerable devices are online on the Internet all the time; some of them were even taken advantage of by cybercriminals, creating a botnet out of those devices. With enough numbers, a botnet can be used to launch DDoS attacks, distribute malware, send spam emails and even mine cryptocurrency.

In short, a major vulnerability affects billions of devices around the world, not just Japan. Vulnerabilities specifically affect the Wi-Fi chips that are inside these devices. There are many types of devices that suffer from this problem without the users knowing the problem. Our recommendation is always to keep the systems and devices updated with the latest version. In this way, we can deal with possible problems that put at risk the safety and proper functioning. Sometimes vulnerabilities arise that are solved by the manufacturers themselves through patches and security updates. Especially these measures must be taken into account when it comes to devices connected to the Internet.