23 Daily — According to itmedia.co.jp, on November 2, 2026, Masatoshi Kumagai, CEO of GMO Internet Group, held a press conference apologizing for a security breach involving the company’s FX automated trading VPS service, Onamae.com Desktop Cloud. Kumagai emphasized that the company never used the term "profit," explained why they refused to pay ransom demands, and stressed the importance of addressing cybersecurity risks in the AI era.

Kumagai Highlights Network Security and Corporate Philosophy

In the second part of the press conference, Kumagai shared insights on industry-wide changes. Reflecting on his 31 years in the Internet sector, he stated that the company’s ultimate goal has always been customer smiles, with profit being a result rather than a goal, and asserted he has never used language focusing on "making money." Discussing his entry into the certification authority business 23 years ago, he emotionally expressed his desire to contribute to a safe and secure Internet benefiting many people.

The Rise of AI Accelerates Cyber Threats

Kumagai noted that since the launch of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, the speed of change in the Internet industry has become almost vertical, describing it as "seconds advancing by minutes." He emphasized that AI developing AI is the main reason for the recent rapid shifts. Particularly, cybercriminals are exploiting these technologies to threaten daily life and businesses. He cited the example of South Korean financial institutions attacked using an AI tool named "ARTEX," which can switch between multiple AIs to probe weaknesses continuously—making it easy even for high school or middle school students with minimal knowledge to commit cybercrimes.

Firm Stance Against Ransom Payment and Corporate Shift to Resilience

Faced with ransom demands, Kumagai strongly declared they would never pay criminals, as their sole purpose is monetary gain. The incident revealed a lag in the company’s resilience strategy—being slow to shift from purely preventing breaches to rapid containment and recovery. Kumagai stated that the company must transition from a security company to a resilience company to keep pace with evolving attack methods.

Editor's take: AI Advances Demand New Cyber Resilience Strategies for Entrepreneurs

The event underscores the reality that artificial intelligence accelerates the evolution of cyberattacks, posing new challenges for startups relying on Internet-based services. Understanding novel AI-driven attack methods and enhancing system resilience is imperative. GMO’s response shows companies should not only focus on defense but also prioritize rapid detection and recovery capabilities. Entrepreneurs can validate their resilience by continuous security monitoring, implementing multi-layer backups, and conducting incident response drills to maintain stability amid complex AI-driven threats.