NOTICE -National Operation Towards IoT Clean Environment

ABOUT NOTICE NOTICE image

Starting on February 20, 2019, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), in cooperation with Internet service providers (ISPs), will conduct the “NOTICE” (National Operation Towards IoT Clean Environment) project to survey vulnerable IoT devices and to alert users to the problem.

Background

In the age of IoT/AI, everything is being connected to a network, such as the Internet. Cybersecurity for them is a critical issue from the viewpoint of the safety and security of peopleユs lives and their social and economic activities.

On the other hand, cyberattacks targeting IoT devices have been on an increasing trend in recent years. IoT devices have characteristics that are easily targeted by cyberattacks, such as limited functions, difficulty in maintenance, and a long life cycle. In other countries, in fact, serious damage has been reported, including internet outage caused by a large-scale cyberattack (DDoS attacks) that co-opted IoT devices.

With consideration of the situation, “the amendment of the Telecommunications Business Act and the Act on the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology” came into force on November 1, 2018, adding the survey of vulnerable IoT devices to NICT operations for a period of 5 years.

Outline of “NOTICE” project

Activity Image (PC) Activity Image (MOBILE)

Survey of devices

NICT surveys IoT devices on the Internet and identifies vulnerable devices, such as those with weak password settings and NICT provides the information of the devices to the ISPs.The survey is to check whether the password setting in each IoT device is easily guessed (e.g., “123456”, “password”, etc.), and the survey will not intrude into the device or acquire information other than that required for the survey.

Alerting users

The ISPs identify the users of the devices and alert users to the problem by e-mail or postal mail, etc.

Changing device settings

Users who got the alert from ISP change device settings or update their software in accordance with the explanation in the alert or this web site.

User Support

In response to inquiries from the users, the “NOTICE” Support Center will guide appropriate security measures.

NOTICE Support Center

freecall
0120-769-318 (Free・Landline only)
03-4346-3318 (Charges apply)
Reception time
10:00~18:00 (Except for the year-end and New Year holidays)