Photo : YONHAP News
Anchor: A wave of hacking attacks on South Korea’s financial sector is spreading, and investigators believe many may have originated from the same source. President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough investigation and countermeasures.
Yun Sohyang has more.
Report: South Korean financial regulators held an emergency meeting Sunday after personal data breaches were confirmed at several nonbank financial institutions, exacerbating a cybersecurity crisis that had already hit major commercial banks.
The Financial Services Commission convened the session, chaired by FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon, with the CEOs of affected firms and the heads of financial industry associations in attendance.
[soundbite: Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon]
“The exact causes and attack methods of individual incidents still require close investigation and analysis, but the cases identified so far show that hackers exploited external web pages and servers that employees use for convenience at work, which received less management attention than core systems. The incidents show that a single overlooked gap can become a weak point in an otherwise robust security system.”
The meeting follows Welcome Savings Bank’s confirmation Sunday that information related to its corporate customers had been leaked, with the number of affected records estimated at up to 2,200.
The attackers first hit four commercial banks, including Shinhan, KB Kookmin, and Hana, and have since targeted nonbank providers, including savings banks and financial service firms.
Investigators believe the attacks on all four banks may be the work of a single actor because they originate from the same IP address. The ambushes on banks and nonbanks also used similar methods.
The investigation determined that attackers did not extract data directly from databases but instead queried external web pages and servers to scrape information. Traces of a Chinese AI tool were also found.
[soundbite: Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon]
“I can’t say for certain, but we can’t rule out the possibility that AI was used in these attacks. As new types of cyberattacks are likely to continue, a security system that defends against AI attacks with AI should be put in place without delay.”
Regulators warned that financial firms that neglect necessary checks and responses will face strict action.
After being briefed on the extent of the leaks, President Lee Jae Myung ordered a thorough investigation and the preparation of countermeasures.
Yun Sohyang, KBS WORLD Radio News.