Security Command Center, Korean Financial Security Institute Suffered Hacking Attack, 650 Pieces of Personal Information Leaked - ITmedia NEWS

The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit, which monitors cybersecurity of financial institutions in South Korea, announced on November 10 that it had been hacked around 3 p.m. on the 9th. Although it immediately took emergency measures to cut off connections to the system, 650 pieces of personal information including personal names, dates of birth, and phone numbers of system users were leaked. In South Korea, hacking attacks on financial institutions have been occurring frequently, and the situation has spread to the point where even the command center for cybersecurity is targeted. The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit stated that the hacked system was one used by financial institutions to submit administrative documents. According to the unit, the leaked information mainly consisted of consent forms for the provision of personal information, and did not include sensitive details such as personal credit information. It said it would provide individual explanations to affected financial institutions and users, and offer compensation if secondary damage occurred. The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit apologized, saying, "Despite the need for high-level security and trust as a specialized security agency, we have caused concern to financial institutions and citizens." The Yonhap News Agency quoted a voice of shock from a financial industry official, saying, "The fact that the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit was also breached means there are no safe zones in the financial sector anymore." From September to October, five major banks in South Korea were subjected to hacking attacks using artificial intelligence (AI). Although access to internet banking and financial transaction information was reportedly blocked, some customer names, addresses, phone numbers, and encrypted resident registration numbers were leaked. (Yukiko Ishikawa)