The South Korean government has called for a comprehensive review of protective measures against hackers after seven major financial institutions in the country were targeted in cyber attacks. In these attacks, personal data from thousands of customers has been stolen.
Intrusions into Financial Institutions and Other Entities
Cyber intrusions are not limited to financial institutions, as two major churches in the country and the Korea Electric Power Corporation have also confirmed that their online systems were accessed illegally. However, it is unclear whether a single actor was responsible for all these attacks.
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Immediate Measures to Prevent Further Thefts
Han Seung-sook, the Prime Minister of South Korea, called on Tuesday for swift measures to prevent any further thefts. He stated, "This is a serious situation as it appears that this incident has exploited artificial intelligence, and if AI is used in phishing attacks, it could lead to secondary damages."
According to initial reports, this attack may have originated from China, although South Korea's financial monitoring services have stated that 28 IP addresses from various countries were involved in these intrusions. In banking logs, researchers have found signs of a tool called ARTEX, which is an automated penetration testing agent.
This attack has exploited vulnerabilities in authentication protocols on portals related to foreign lenders, employee mobile tools, and sales support systems. According to South Korean media reports, data belonging to approximately 68,000 customers has been stolen.
Consequences of Data Theft and Future Risks
Hyobin Lee, a professor at Seogang University in Seoul, states that the seriousness of this incident goes beyond the disclosure of personal information. He warned that if criminals gain access to such information, they may be able to carry out complex financial frauds, identity theft, or targeted phishing attacks.
Lee stated, "These incidents can undermine public trust in financial institutions and raise concerns about the security of the financial system." While financial institutions have seriously invested in protecting their core systems, some auxiliary systems have apparently received less attention.
The use of artificial intelligence in these attacks is another concerning element. Lee says, "AI lowers technical barriers for cyber crimes and enables more malicious actors to take advantage of it." Given these developments, he is concerned that cyber attacks using artificial intelligence may increase in the future.
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