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NEC's Cyber Security

Information Security Report 2024

How to Choose a Security Solution

NEC’s Cybersecurity Strategy

By leveraging the collective strength of the entire Group to provide safe, secure, and comfortable social infrastructure and combat cyberattacks, which are a growing problem for the global community, NEC will help achieve an information society that is friendly to humans and the earth.

With the recent popularization of DX*1, our work styles have undergone significant changes, such as an increase in opportunities for remote work. This has led to a greater integration of physical (real-world) and cyber spaces, connecting everything more closely. In such an interconnected world, security risks can arise anywhere, and we need to address these emerging risks. In the face of rapid changes in the business environment, cybersecurity has become more crucial than ever to ensure safe business operations. NEC has various initiatives in place to address this challenge. We actively collaborate with domestic and international security organizations, and input policy proposals to the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat, ministries, and agencies through our partners and industry associations. Moreover, not only we offer advanced security services but also, we contribute to nurturing skilled security professionals through our research and development activities and capacity building programs for external and internal talent. Based on the Security by Design (SBD) approach, we have introduced security measures at every stage of the system lifecycle, from design through construction and operation, including implementation framework to tackle emerging cyber risks. Additionally, we are driving the “Client Zero” approach in cybersecurity, using our own organization as the initial user to gain practical insights. We gather knowledge from the security measures operating across our 110,000 NEC Group employees.

Based on these achievements and know-how, NEC contributes to the realization of a safe and secure information society through cybersecurity.

*1
DX: Digital Transformation

Our key activities

Collaboration with Relevant Organizations
Contribution to National Projects
Organizational Structure for Offering Advanced Services
Development of In-House Human Resources
Development of Security Human Resources in Japan
Providing Training Programs for Customers
Thorough Security Implementation
Supporting the Enhancement of Security Based on In-House Operational Expertise

What NEC Can Do to Help Customers Achieve Total Optimization

To effectively address latent security risks, it is important to continuously understand the current situation and the extent to which countermeasures have been implemented across the entire system. To achieve this, NEC has developed an original cybersecurity dashboard that visualizes the necessary data from the perspectives of system administrators, employees, and executives. This enables data-driven security risk management and the implementation of cybersecurity management. Drawing from the extensive knowledge gained through the development and operation of our internal cybersecurity dashboard, NEC provides data-driven security services to our customers, supporting the DX of their security operations.

Cutting-Edge Research and Development of Cybersecurity Technologies

NEC protects social infrastructure and organizations from the threats of cyberattacks through research and development activities for both system security and data security based on the Security by Design (SBD) concept.

An example of system security research is "automated secure system design" aimed to automate the design of secure ICT systems. This research automates the processes of secure system development and security operation, which previously required a large number of person-hours, in order to support system design, development, and operation.
Examples of data security research include "privacy-preserving biometric authentication" and "privacy-preserving federated learning". "Privacy-preserving biometric authentication" contributes to the safe and secure use of facial recognition and other biometric authentication services. For example, facial recognition performs authentication while keeping the amount of biometric features encrypted. "Privacy-preserving federated learning" is research that builds an AI model without the need for organizations to disclose their data to each other. It does not gather data directly. Instead, it achieves attribute estimation across industries. By utilizing this technology, we aim to integrate AI models of diverse industries and provide an integrated AI platform that enables mutual estimation of attributes.

To learn more about NEC’s approach to cyber security, please download “Information Security Report 2024”

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