Masatoshi Kumagai, the representative of GMO Internet Group, apologized on Nov. 2 for a breach at the group's FX auto-trading VPS service, telling a news conference in Tokyo, "We were unable to protect our customers, and I am truly sorry." It was the first news conference the group has held since it disclosed the unauthorized access on Oct. 21.
Kumagai said at the outset that customer information had leaked in the breach and that customer assets had also been damaged. He acknowledged that the service's systems had security problems, saying, "That is a fact."
He also confirmed that specialists at group company GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae had pointed out flaws in the system. "We were unable to make use of that warning in running the service," he said.
Apology extends to his own posts
Kumagai apologized again for his own social media posts. He cited posts that touched on matters involving victims, a post of a smiling photo taken amid the situation, and a comment he directed at a person who had posted about the company's track and field team.
“None of them showed consideration for the feelings of those who were affected.”Masatoshi Kumagai, representative of GMO Internet Group
ITmedia NEWS editorial staff attended the news conference. Further details will be reported separately.