South Korea’s Lee Says AI Appears to Have Been Used in Bank Hacks

Reuters

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that AI models are believed to have been used in some recent hacking incidents targeting banks, calling for the development of cybersecurity measures suited to the AI era.

"In some hacking incidents, signs have emerged of AI being used, causing considerable public concern and anxiety," Lee ⁠said during a cabinet meeting.

"Please establish the circumstances swiftly and clearly, and concentrate personnel and resources on minimising the damage."

South Korean police have launched a full-scale investigation into hacking attacks targeting commercial banks that resulted in breaches of customers’ personal information, Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and other financial institutions reported cyberattacks, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said on Friday. Yonhap also reported that Hana Bank and Woori Bank had suffered breaches.

Authorities have yet to disclose what types of AI tools were used in the hacking incidents or the full extent of the breaches.

On Sunday, FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon convened an emergency meeting with financial industry associations, regulators and executives from affected institutions, warning that the sector must respond with the highest level of vigilance.

The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the Financial Security Institute shared information with the financial sector on 28 unique IP addresses and some country-level data linked to the recent hacking attempts, the FSS said on Tuesday.

In September, Australia said an OpenAI agent had breached a government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorised access to files in what could be the first known case of an AI agent hacking a government website.

An artificial intelligence research firm said last week that AI agents had attempted to hack a Canadian government website, describing the effort as unsuccessful. Canadian authorities said there were no indications that their systems had been compromised.

Source: Reuters



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