Japanese high-schooler suspected of hacking net-cafe chain using AI
Japanese police have issued an arrest warrant for a 17-year-old accused of using a programme created with AI to carry out a cyberattack that compromised data on millions of customers.
Authorities in Tokyo have issued an arrest warrant for a 17-year-old boy from Osaka on suspicion of orchestrating a large-scale cyberattack using artificial intelligence. The alleged target was the operator of the Kaikatsu Club internet-café chain (along with related fitness-gym business), which may have exposed the personal data of about 7.3 million customers.
According to investigators, the suspect used a computer programme, reportedly built with help from an AI chatbot, to send unauthorised commands around 7.24 million times to the company’s servers in order to extract membership information. The teenager was previously arrested in November in connection with a separate fraud case involving credit-card misuse.
Police have charged him under Japan’s law against unauthorised computer access and for obstructing business, though so far no evidence has emerged of misuse (for example, resale or public leaks) of the stolen data.
In his statement to investigators, the suspect reportedly said he carried out the hack simply because he found it fun to probe system vulnerabilities.
This case is the latest in a growing pattern of so-called AI-enabled cyber crimes in Japan, from fraudulent subscription schemes to ransomware generation. Experts warn that generative AI is lowering the barrier to entry for complex attacks, enabling individuals with limited technical training to carry out large-scale hacking or fraud.
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