South Korea orders probe into AI-linked hacking attacks on major banks

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday ordered a thorough investigation into a series of hacking attacks targeting major banks and other financial institutions that resulted in customer data leaks.The recent attacks have targeted financial institutions including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank, compromising customer information, according to Yonhap News Agency.Shinhan Bank said Thursday that personal information belonging to about 25,000 customers — including names, phone numbers and annual incomes — had been leaked.Sources cited by Yonhap said hackers used advanced artificial intelligence tools in the attack.Hana Bank, Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank were also targeted in similar hacking attempts.Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee instructed authorities to “take the matter seriously, conduct a thorough investigation, and spare no effort in coming up with measures to address the issue.”Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin also convened an emergency meeting with executives from the affected financial institutions.“We have detected multiple security breaches across various sectors in a short span of time, not only at major commercial banks but also at savings banks and specialized credit finance firms,” the FSC chairman said.He said there was no indication that sensitive information capable of being directly used for unauthorized payments had been compromised, but urged financial institutions to maintain the “highest level of vigilance.”Authorities warned that the leaked information could still be exploited for voice phishing and other forms of fraud.The FSC chairman also said authorities could not rule out the possibility that AI tools had been used in the cyberattacks.