IPA warns of year-end attack surge and network traversal threats
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Japanese IPA alerts to increased DDoS, network traversal attacks, and IoT botnet activity during holiday periods when staff are unavailable.
Japan's Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) has issued a seasonal security advisory ahead of the year-end and New Year holiday break, warning of heightened cyber threat activity during periods when system administrators are typically absent. The advisory notes that security incidents occurring during extended leave can result in delayed response, unexpected escalation, and significant business impact into the post-holiday period.
The advisory specifically highlights network traversal attacks (network penetration attacks) that exploit vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in internet-facing devices and infrastructure. Attackers are using compromised IoT devices to form botnets conducting DDoS campaigns. Beyond DDoS, the IPA warns of ongoing phishing, support fraud, and credential theft threats. A particular concern is the risk of affected organizations becoming Operational Relay Boxes (ORB)—inadvertently used to relay attacks against other organizations without their knowledge.
The IPA recommends that organizations conduct immediate inventory of internet-connected devices and systems, apply vulnerability patches, review network configurations, implement continuous log monitoring, and establish business continuity and crisis management plans. The advisory references Attack Surface Management (ASM) guidance published by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in May 2023 as a framework for identifying and managing exposed attack surface. Organizations are encouraged to report suspicious email, unauthorized access attempts, and other indicators of compromise to Japanese authorities to support national cyber situational awareness.
Mentioned in this report
Source reporting: https://www.ipa.go.jp/security/anshin/heads-up/alert20251216.html
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