The Japanese government's web portal e-Gov was hit by a cyberattack and became inaccessible Tuesday, its cybersecurity response center said, with a pro-Russian hacker group appearing to claim responsibility for the incident.
The National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity said the website came under a so-called DDoS attack, in which a network is overwhelmed by hackers sending floods of data from multiple sources over a short period. It became inaccessible from around 4:30 p.m. and remained disrupted into the night.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also reported that access to the eLTAX regional tax portal was impeded.
Around the time of the attack, pro-Russian hacker group Killnet posted a message on the Telegram messaging app claiming it had targeted Japan's online public services and the tax authority's electronic system.
Additionally, the hacker group also appeared to write that it was revolting against Japan's "militarism," and that it was kicking the samurai. The cybersecurity response center says the messages are highly likely to be a declaration of responsibility by the group.
Killnet is believed to have been behind a number of cyberattacks on websites belonging to countries supporting Ukraine during Russia's invasion of it.
The e-Gov website's functions include allowing people to apply to local governments for public services, collecting comment on specified issues, displaying laws and legal changes, and providing a directory to various government sites.
