The attackers behind 16 of 18 suspected overseas hacking attacks against South Korean financial companies reported since 2024 remain unidentified, a lawmaker said Friday.
According to a report by Rep. Song Eon-seok of the main opposition People Power Party, citing data from the Financial Supervisory Service, local financial firms have reported 18 hacking attacks originating overseas since 2024 through Thursday, with the attackers identified in only two cases.
In July last year, Seoul Guarantee Insurance Co. suffered an attack by GUNRA, an international ransomware group, which disrupted operations for 64 hours. In April, Baro Savings Bank experienced an attack by the ransomware group INC Ransom.
Of the remaining 16 cases, 13 were linked to internet protocol addresses believed to be located overseas, while the countries of origin were unknown in three cases.
The countries of origin included China, the United States, Bulgaria and Vietnam, although an IP address does not necessarily indicate where an attacker is physically based.
"We need to promptly establish an AI-based defense system to address hacking attempts," Song said, stressing the need to develop technologies to identify attackers, as IP addresses can easily be concealed or disguised.
Several financial companies, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank, suffered leaks of customer information in a series of hacking attacks last week, raising concerns over possible data breaches at more firms. (Yonhap)