How a 15-Year-Old Used ChatGPT to Wipe 46,812 Accounts and Bring an Anime Giant to Its Knees

Authorities in Japan have detained a 15-year-old high school student suspected of using ChatGPT to build software for a cyberattack against Bandai Namco Filmworks. The digital assault targeted the company's Bandai Channel streaming service, disrupting normal operations and resulting in the automated deletion of more than 46,000 subscriber accounts.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police suspect the teenager exploited a flaw in the anime streaming platform to launch the attack in November 2025, leaving him facing charges of fraudulent obstruction of business. According to a Straits Times report, investigators believe he used ChatGPT to help develop a program that gained unauthorised access to user profiles and automatically terminated 46,812 subscriptions.

'I created the source code for the withdrawal process myself. Since the processing was taking a long time, I asked ChatGPT and completed it in a different programming language,' he said.

Attack Brought Streaming Service to a Standstill

A barrage of rogue commands was sent to Bandai Channel's servers on 4 November 2025, which law enforcement officials say triggered the widespread deletion of user profiles. The fallout crippled the platform's digital services two days later, forcing Bandai Namco Filmworks to spend weeks repairing its systems before full operations were finally restored in December, when the company reported the breach to the authorities.

Teen Allegedly Exploited Security Flaw

After discovering a security loophole in the system, the young programmer allegedly breached the network to harvest confidential user data. The resulting disruption forced the streaming provider to take several features offline, but the attack did not end there. Law enforcement officials said the high school student bypassed subsequent company bans by cycling through around 30 different IP addresses to continue bombarding the servers with destructive code.

Having taught himself to code during primary school, the teenager was still a junior high school student when he allegedly carried out the server breach. It is not his first run-in with law enforcement, as he was taken into custody only last month, in June, over a separate set of alleged cybercrimes.

Teen Says Platform Was an Easy Target

The young programmer reportedly confessed to the cyberattack during police questioning, insisting his choice of target was not personal. Rather than harbouring any resentment towards Bandai Namco Filmworks, the teenager said he focused on the platform simply because it presented an easy opportunity with a large number of vulnerable accounts to access.

'I started using computers when I was in the fourth grade and taught myself everything I know. I happened to be able to access the information and had nothing against the company,' he said.

Company Contacts Thousands of Affected Users

To rectify the damage, Bandai Namco Filmworks contacted every affected subscriber directly, warning them to remain vigilant against potential follow-up scams, including fraudulent emails. The entertainment company asked victims to rebuild their deleted profiles from scratch and promised full refunds for any membership costs incurred while the platform was compromised.

No Evidence of Data Leak So Far

According to Bandai Namco Filmworks, there is no evidence to suggest any compromised user information has been leaked online or weaponised by third parties.

The company said: 'We take this situation very seriously and will continue to conduct regular checks and strive to prevent any recurrence.'