TOKYO – A 25-year-old man has been served a fresh arrest warrant for allegedly creating a computer virus using generative artificial intelligence (AI), the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)'s cybercrime control division announced on May 28, in what is believed to be the first such case in Japan.

Ryuki Hayashi, an unemployed resident of the Kanagawa Prefecture city of Kawasaki, was served the warrant on suspicion of making electronic or magnetic records containing unauthorized commands.

Hayashi is accused of creating a virus similar to ransomware, which destroys computer data and demands ransom in cryptocurrency, using his home computer and smartphone on March 31, 2023. He has reportedly admitted to the allegations, telling police, “I thought I could do anything by asking AI. I wanted to make easy money.”

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
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      2 years ago

      Even now, deaths can be attributed to hospitals getting ransomware.

        • Uriel238 [all pronouns]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 years ago

          What freaked me out were the IV drug dispensers that dialed into wifi for app control (and yes, they’re less secure than your roomba).

          It’d make a great fictional assassination story if one was commandeered to kill a VIP by morphene or insulin overdose. No such incident has occured yet IRL. But I’m sure it’s worth like 20 cyberpunk dystopia points when it does.

  • Saganaki@lemmy.one
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    2 years ago

    There is no way the virus functioned. Seriously. The guy had no tech background.

    • lurch (he/him)@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      Japan has a suspiciously high conviction rate though (>99%). They either don’t even go for criminals they are not sure about or there’s some form of tampering going on. Hard to say.