Japan's Digital Agency said unauthorized access to its Government Solution Service (GSS) network through a maintenance account at the end of June may have exposed the names, email addresses and telephone numbers of about 246,000 public officials and related personnel. The attackers reportedly exploited a virtual private network (VPN) vulnerability to extract files on a large scale. The agency has not found improper use directly linked to the incident, while Japan recorded 123 ransomware attacks in the first half of the year, the highest half-year total since government statistics began.