Japan: Issued guidelines for protecting the confidentiality of communication and ensuring cybersecurity for LINE Yahoo! corporation as part of the ongoing investigation into LINE

On 5 March 2024, the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC) provided the LINE messaging app with written guidelines for protecting the confidentiality of communication and ensuring cybersecurity for LINE Yahoo! Corporation (LINE) as part of the ongoing investigation into LINE. In particular, the MIC issued administrative guidance to LINE following the leakage of confidential communication due to unauthorised access within the company. The guidance aims to ensure the protection of communication confidentiality and cybersecurity, implement measures to prevent a recurrence and report on the implementation status. This incident involved Naver Cloud, a subcontractor responsible for operating LINE's IT infrastructure, which resulted in the compromise of internal systems and the leakage of user communication information. Measures include a comprehensive review and strengthening of security management, subcontractor management, and security governance throughout the group.