AI's recent innovations have captured global attention, revolutionizing everything from image and video generation to smart conversations and document processing. As more people embrace this emerging technology, it has also sparked numerous controversies.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department recently arrested three junior and senior high school students, aged 14 to 16, on suspicion of illegally accessing Japanese telecom provider Rakuten Mobile's systems using a self-developed program. They allegedly registered a large number of phone numbers and resold them for profit, violating the Act on Prohibition of Unauthorized Computer Access and the Computer Fraud Act. The news quickly grabbed the attention of Japanese netizens, even becoming a trending topic on X.
The phrase "3 junior/senior high school students arrested" trended on X in Japan today.
Investigations revealed that the three teenagers, who met through online gaming, communicated via the encrypted messaging app Telegram. They reportedly used conversational AI, "ChatGPT," to optimize their program's execution speed. They then purchased over 2 billion leaked account and password combinations via social media, attempting to log into Rakuten Mobile. Upon successful login, they resold the phone numbers for profit. Such a large-scale illegal hacking attack by minors, leveraging AI, is considered rare in Japan.
Their attack methods were highly sophisticated. The high school student was responsible for program development, with partial involvement from the junior high school students. The program automatically entered IDs and passwords for login, and upon success, immediately completed phone number applications. They exploited Rakuten Mobile's policy allowing a single ID to register up to 15 phone numbers, rapidly accumulating a large volume of lines. These illegally obtained numbers were then resold to multiple buyers via Telegram. Police estimate they collectively received approximately 7.5 million Japanese Yen in cryptocurrency as compensation.
Some netizens expressed bewilderment at the teenagers' advanced technical skills, questioning how they managed to breach corporate systems and exploit vulnerabilities for significant financial gain. Beyond lamenting that these capable youths resorted to illicit earnings, many also speculated whether an organized group might have guided them.
While AI was used to optimize their program, the sheer capability demonstrated by these teenagers has raised concerns among many, prompting questions about whether technological advancements are inadvertently creating new avenues for crime.
via： livedoor news 日テレNEWS