Study: Japan Cybercrime Tripled

Monday, January 15th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TOKYO (AP) â€” Reports of computer viruses tripled last year in Japan as the increasingly networked nation felt the effects of the Love Bug and other potent strains, a government study said.

Authorities logged a total of 11,109 reports of viruses being sent to computers in Japan in 2000, the Yomiuri newspaper reported Saturday, citing a study by the government-affiliated Information Technology Promotion Agency.

That was up from 3,645 reports the previous year and from just 14 in 1989, when such cases were first recorded.

Experts say the number may actually be higher, since only 10 percent of the reports came from individuals, who are less likely than companies to have software capable of detecting viruses.

Viruses and other forms of cybercrime have concerned authorities in Japan following a series of high-profile raids by unidentified hackers on government-run Internet sites last year.

Though the current administration has made promoting the Internet one of its top policy priorities, Japan has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent abuse of the global computer network.

A law that made hacking a crime went into effect only last February. Disseminating viruses is still not a crime in Japan, though officials reportedly plan to close that legal loophole sometime this year.

The Love Bug, which caused billions of dollars in damages worldwide, accounted for 1,221 â€” or about a tenth â€” of the virus cases recorded in Japan last year, according to Saturday's report.

The Information Technology Promotion Agency could not be reached Saturday for further comment.

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On the Net:

Information Technology Promotion Agency: http://www.ipa.go.jp