An increase in ransomware attacks has forced Japanese companies to take precautionary measures.
Ransomware is a type of computer virus that encrypts data until a ransom is paid. Attackers sometimes threaten that they will disclose the stolen data. Such attacks cost victims huge amounts of money and effort for recovery.
In June, media and educational group Kadokawa Corp. was attacked by ransomware, and personal information on about 250,000 people, including students of schools run by the group, was exposed. The incident also obstructed the operations of the group's popular Niconico video-sharing platform.