GMO Cybersecurity

GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae, Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of GMO Internet Group, is a Japanese company specializing in cybersecurity services. Its history traces back to the founding of Ierae Security Inc. in December 2011 and COCON Inc. in February 2013. Makoto Makita, who became interested in cybersecurity after being hacked in high school, founded Ierae Security with fellow engineers from a Capture The Flag (CTF) hacking contest. The company aimed to provide high-quality security services at competitive prices.

In 2021, after a period of acquiring various IT startups, COCON Inc. decided to merge its group companies, including Ierae Security, to focus on the growing cybersecurity sector, establishing a mission to "protect Japan". This entity later became a subsidiary of the GMO Internet Group to leverage GMO's vast infrastructure, which includes 90% of Japanese domains and 60% of hosting servers, to automatically protect a large portion of the country's internet landscape. The company officially changed its name from Ierae Security Inc. to GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae, Inc. after becoming a subsidiary of GMO Internet Group Inc. The current CEO is Makoto Makita.

The company's business model is centered on providing comprehensive cybersecurity solutions to corporate and infrastructure clients. It leverages Japan's largest organization of white-hat hackers to offer services such as vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, incident response support, and security consulting. Key products include 'WAF-AID', a service that automates Web Application Firewall (WAF) operations for AWS and Cloudflare, and 'GMO Attack Surface Management', a tool for corporate IT departments to monitor the security of their externally exposed assets from an attacker's perspective. The company also offers brand security services like 'GMO Spoofing ZERO' which uses AI to detect and takedown phishing sites and fake accounts. GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae is preparing for a listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to enhance its funding capacity, brand recognition, and talent acquisition.

Keywords: vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, white-hat hackers, incident response, web application firewall, WAF automation, attack surface management, brand security, phishing detection, security consulting, network security, security diagnosis, cyber attack defense, GMO Internet Group, Makoto Makita, Ierae Security