(Photo courtesy by Anadolu)
SEOUL – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough investigation into a series of hacking attacks targeting major banks and other financial institutions following reported leaks of customer information, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The attacks affected several financial institutions, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank. Shinhan Bank said personal information belonging to around 25,000 customers, including names, phone numbers and annual income details, had been exposed.
Yonhap, citing sources, reported that hackers may have used advanced artificial intelligence tools in the attack. Similar hacking attempts were also reported against Hana Bank, Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee instructed authorities to treat the incidents seriously, conduct a comprehensive investigation and develop measures to address the security breaches.
Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin also held an emergency meeting with executives of the affected financial firms.
The FSC chief said multiple security breaches had been detected across the financial sector in a short period, involving not only major commercial banks but also savings banks and specialized credit finance companies.
Authorities said there was no indication that sensitive information capable of enabling unauthorized payments had been compromised. However, they warned that leaked personal information could still be exploited for voice phishing and other scams.
Financial regulators urged institutions to maintain the highest level of vigilance while authorities investigate the incidents, including whether artificial intelligence tools were used in the cyberattacks.
