GMO chairman vows to stay after cyberattack exposes security failures

Masatoshi Kumagai apologizes to customers, rejects payments to hackers and faces questions over vulnerability warnings raised in 2024.

Channel: Nippon TV News ·

JapanStory of November 4, 2026Trari Newsroom

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【GMO】熊谷会長「放置したまま死ねません」続投の意向サイバー攻撃後初会見

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00Kumagai apologizes for failing to protect customer data, later acknowledging insensitive social media posts.
3:05Yamashita says intruders entered customer virtual private servers on August 5 before accessing the management server.
4:46Yamashita acknowledges earlier vulnerability warnings and insufficient maintenance; Kumagai says the issue had not reached him.
6:09Kumagai links cyberattacks to AI, rejects paying hackers and states his intention to remain in charge.
7:32He promises full compensation for direct foreign-exchange losses but defers compensation for secondary data leaks.
9:22Economics department head Shin Ono criticizes internal governance and the chairman's understanding of the technical causes.

GMO Internet Group chairman Masatoshi Kumagai intends to remain in charge after a cyberattack, saying he cannot leave the internet's problems unresolved. But the company's first press conference since the attack also brought admissions about earlier security warnings and questions about how information reached its leadership.

Japan's Nippon Television News (日テレNEWS) reports on the November 2 conference, showing Kumagai bowing in apology for failing to protect customer data. The founder of the Japanese internet group becomes tearful as he describes his ambition for a safe, reliable internet.

He also apologizes for posting smiling photographs on social media after the incident, acknowledging that he had not adequately considered those affected. During the conference, he rebukes an off-camera staff member over an unbuttoned jacket and the slow progress of presentation slides.

The technical account comes from GMO Internet vice president Hirofumi Yamashita. He says intruders breached customers' virtual private servers on August 5 before gaining access to the management server. These are remotely hosted computing environments customers can use to run their own software and services.

Yamashita acknowledges that vulnerability warnings were raised in 2024 and that emergency maintenance subsequently undertaken was insufficient. Kumagai says the issue had not been escalated to him.

Kumagai describes AI as a driving force behind cyberattacks and vows never to pay hackers. On compensation, he promises full reimbursement for direct foreign-exchange trading losses, while leaving compensation for secondary data leaks for later consideration.

The report ends with analysis from the broadcaster's economics department head, Shin Ono. He criticizes the group's internal governance and Kumagai's grasp of the technical causes, shifting the focus from the chairman's emotional response to the company's handling of security and reporting.

The video's title, "【GMO】熊谷会長「放置したまま死ねません」続投の意向サイバー攻撃後初会見", means GMO chairman Kumagai intends to stay on: "I can't die leaving this unresolved", at his first press conference since the cyberattack.

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