Seoul orders probe after suspected AI‑assisted hacks hit 7 financial firms
President Lee Jae-myung ordered a thorough investigation after breaches at four banks and three other lenders, where police found traces of what appears to be an AI penetration-testing tool.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Sunday ordered a thorough investigation into data breaches at financial firms. Officials said IP addresses linked to the same attacker turned up at seven of them, according to Digital Today, and investigators believe the attacker used AI tools to automate the intrusions.
Digital Today named Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, Hana Bank, BNK Busan Bank, Hyundai Capital, Yegaram Savings Bank and Welcome Savings Bank. The Korea Times put Shinhan's exposure at about 25,000 customers and Yegaram's at about 40,000. Leaked fields included names, phone numbers, annual income and loan limits, and in some cases resident registration numbers.
The AI link is the contested part. The Korea Times reported that police found traces of a Chinese-language AI penetration-testing tool on a server, with a page title that translates as an AI autonomous penetration testing console. It tied the tool tentatively to an open-source system called ARTEX AI. No other outlet reviewed by this paper names the tool.
Cybersecurity News noted that investigators have not publicly established that one group carried out every breach, or that AI independently completed each attack. It said the intrusions came through loan-agent websites and employee support systems, not customer-facing banking apps, and that no customer transaction information leaked in those incidents.
Financial Services Commission chairman Lee Eog-weon told the industry to stay on the highest alert, the Korea Times reported, and Digital Today quoted him calling for defences in which AI is used against AI attacks. Authorities warned that the exposed data could be used for voice phishing and text-message scams.