Japanese government aims to hire more computer security specialists following massive personal data leaks

The Japanese government was planning to increase the number of "white hat hackers", or specialists who use their skills to improve computer security, following massive personal data leaks from the country's pension service earlier this month, officials said yesterday.

The government, which currently hires a few such specialists, aimed to raise the number to several dozen in the future by improving their working conditions. Such hackers would be needed to ensure Japan's cybersecurity before it hosted the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the officials said.

White hat hackers well-versed in the methods and techniques used by malicious hackers "will be required at the forefront" of defence against cyberattacks, a government official said.

Those specialists can expose the vulnerabilities of computer systems before attackers can detect and exploit them.

The National Centre of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity, which was newly established in January as a key organisation to counter cyberattacks against Japan, has recruited the few specialists as regular staff including those who formerly worked at an information technology company for more than five years.

However, the number of cybersecurity specialists in Japan is said to be short of desired levels by 80,000, making it difficult for the government to secure qualified personnel.