Akira Orita has been involved investigative research related to cybersecurity and has assisted in resolving more than several hundred security incidents*1. In this profile, we introduce his story of how his extensive experience in leading-edge research and practical work on-site with customers has led to his personal growth as a globally active security analyst.
Akira Orita
Business Cloud Services Group
Chief Engineer
Akira Orita started at Hitachi Systems in 2000. He was responsible for proposing, designing, and configuring security systems, management of security operations center, and response to security incidents such as digital forensics investigation*2. After that, he joined the specially appointed assistant professor at a national university as a security specialist where he taught and performed research for some three years. With his desire to use this experience "to be useful to customers and society", he returned to the Hitachi Systems Cybersecurity Research Center in 2009. There, he performs investigative research, as well as investigation and response to security incidents. As one of the leading security analysts in Japan, he is active in collaborative activities related to cybersecurity among industry, government and academia, as well as performing educational and promotional activities within and outside of our company.
These are the words of Akira Orita, a top-level security specialist of the Hitachi Group who is involved in investigative research related to cybersecurity and has assisted in resolving more than several hundred security incidents He was interested in "cybersecurity" before it become a well-known term, and has been consistently working in cybersecurity departments since joining the company. Orita built a solid foundation as a security analyst by working under the guidance of his superior, an active security expert, by designing and building security systems, monitoring and managing cyberattacks, as well as being involved in initial response to security incidents and digital forensics where he investigates the cause and extent of impact.
Although currently active as a specialist, Orita experienced something that made him realize his own lack of knowledge and experience in the past. This occurred while responding to a customer's security incident. He was consulted by a customer who said, "Our server is down due to a cyberattack" and started to investigate the cause. However, no matter how much he investigated the problem, he could not find evidence of an attack. Baffled as to "Why?", Orita tried every possible approach he could think of until finally realizing that the cause was completely separate from a cyberattack but rather was due to a power supply fault caused by equipment deterioration. Orita regrets that, "I could have isolated the problem much quicker if I had investigated the problem from a variety of perspectives without any preconceived notions of the possible cause."
Right around the time this occurred, Orita found out the alma mater of his superior, a national university, was hiring the specially appointed assistant professor related to security. He discussed it with the company and decided to leave Hitachi Systems in 2006 to gain a wider range of knowledge. While mainly researching trends in cyberattackers, he spent some three years both studying and gaining practical experience in security measures in the school and similar topics. As he carried out investigative research and security incident response, Orita realized he had a strong desire to resolve actual problems that people are currently facing, and so he returned to work at Hitachi Systems. While continuing to perform investigative research into cybersecurity, he also provided consultations to the Hitachi Group to support resolution of security accidents. Even though a customer's department specializing in security could not identify the point of penetration of a spreading virus, Orita was remarkably active in providing guidance to resolve such extremely malicious cyberattacks and tracing the infection route using investigative abilities based on his great knowledge and experience.
Although Orita has numerous advanced professional qualifications and experience in responding to hundreds of security incidents, he continually strives to improve himself. Cybersecurity not only requires knowledge of various types of system or tool, it is also essential to have knowledge and information other than security-related such as conditions related to type of business and business operations, circumstances domestically and abroad, and the mentality of attackers. Orita stated, "In order to properly respond to incidents, it is essential to continually improve information skills on a routine basis, as well as to investigate and resolve issues in a team together with colleagues having their own special technical capabilities."
Hitachi Systems provides an environment where everyone can realize their aspirations, making it a place where you can spend ample time on research and information communication together with excellent superiors and colleagues worthy of respect. Orita believes that, "As an employee of the Hitachi Group, which supports a variety of customers and social infrastructures, I would like to use my cybersecurity knowledge and experience to contribute the peace of mind and safety of our customers and society."
At Po'oihe 2015 Cyber Security Exercise (Cybersecurity exercises organized by the University of Hawaii)
Orita is currently involved in providing support for realizing safe and secure social systems by carrying out a wide range of activities such as investigative research in collaboration with related organizations within Japan and abroad, providing support for security incident response for customers and the Hitachi Group, carrying out information communication and promotional activities related to security, and training of human resources in Hitachi and other companies. Orita is expected to become even more active in the future in his essential role as a security analyst for Hitachi Systems, which strives to support the realization of a prosperous society.
Giving a lecture at Tokyo University of Information Sciences
The cybersecurity world sees the emergence of new attack methods nearly every day, making it essential to regularly collect information from around the world to understand trends in cyberattack methods and new technology in order to provide proper response to incidents. Orita carries out investigative research through collaborative activities among industry, government and academia, as well as links to security-related organization, while also fully utilizing his personal connections throughout the world he has accumulated through community activities. In recent years, he has been especially focused on investigative research related to security technology in the social infrastructure field, such as control systems, and security technology in the rapidly spreading cloud field.
Hitachi Systems established a specialized security team in 1996 when corporate use of the Internet was just starting to spread. The company achieved high-level response capabilities from introduction to operation of security systems using "SHIELD", a cyber-security solution. We started to provide security response services for control systems from 2014, and now provide comprehensive solutions capable of rapid response to a wide variety of security threats, including the social infrastructure field. Orita's responsibilities in relation to these operations is to recommend initial response, cause investigation, and recurrence prevention measures if a customer suffers an incident.
The global shortage of security human resources has resulted in the social issue of training security personnel who are proficient with the latest defensive technology. Orita contributes to the training of security human resources in widespread ways by not only serving as a teacher for security education within our company and the Hitachi Group, but also as a lecturer in practical security issues at numerous universities and he collaborates in the development of security education programs for public institutions. He is also serving at the Cybersecurity Center where he creates websites and pamphlets to communicate security information, and also oversees activities to popularize and inform about security issues through support for security events and the like.
Orita speaking at "Kyushu IT Pro-SEC" event
(This article is as of October 2020)
Information contained in the articles are as of the date of publication, but may be subject to change without prior notice.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us from the link below.
Personal information provided will solely be used for the purpose of internal communication activities. We will not use your personal information without your prior approval, except cooperative use with a Hitachi Group company, which we outsource internal communication activities. When you click the link below, you are deemed to agree that we handle with your personal information in accordance with above-mentioned conditions.
Corporate Communications Department
Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
Hitachi Systems provides true one-stop services covering all areas of the IT life cycle: from system consulting, to building, installation, operation, and maintenance.
