South Korea financial firms face fresh cyberattacks
Daishin Securities said 38,490 customers were affected, while Mirae Asset and Bithumb reported separate incidents amid tighter checks.
South Korea’s financial sector is dealing with another round of cyberattacks, with Daishin Securities, Mirae Asset Global Investments and crypto exchange Bithumb all reporting incidents. The new cases stand out because they come only about a month after earlier attacks on financial firms in the country. They have also sharpened concerns that hackers are not focusing only on banks, but on a wider range of financial services, including investment companies and digital asset platforms.
Officials in Seoul have not confirmed the cause of the latest breaches. Still, the timing has renewed debate over how exposed financial services remain to increasingly sophisticated attacks, including ones that researchers have linked to AI-powered hacking tools, as IT-PUB News reports.
Daishin says 38,490 customers were affected
Daishin Securities said a cyberattack exposed the personal information of 38,490 customers. According to local media, the data included names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers.
The company said it has notified affected customers, is cooperating with authorities in the investigation and will compensate losses as required by law. That makes the breach more than a technical issue. For customers, it can raise the risk of unwanted contact, phishing attempts and other misuse of personal data.
Daishin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mirae Asset and Bithumb report separate incidents
Mirae Asset Global Investments and Bithumb each reported separate cybersecurity incidents on Wednesday, local media said. Neither company has confirmed that customer data was taken.
Even without confirmation of a data leak, incidents like these still matter for users and businesses. Financial firms and crypto exchanges handle sensitive information and transactions, so a breach can damage trust, trigger internal reviews and force companies to strengthen their defenses.
The cases also widen the focus beyond traditional banks. The latest wave appears to be hitting different parts of the financial ecosystem at once, from brokerage services to cryptocurrency trading.
AI-assisted hacking remains under scrutiny
The new attacks follow a September wave of cyber incidents in South Korea that security researchers linked to a suspected China-based hacker. According to those researchers, the attacker used an AI penetration testing tool called Artex.
Officials are still investigating the root cause of the latest breaches, and there is no confirmed link between the new incidents and the earlier campaign. Even so, the mention of AI-assisted hacking has drawn added attention. It suggests attackers may be using advanced tools to probe systems faster and more effectively, increasing pressure on companies to detect intrusions early.
The source does not say whether the current cases involved the same actor or method. But the repeated attacks have intensified scrutiny of the role artificial intelligence may play in cybercrime.
Regulators call for tighter checks
South Korea’s financial regulator has called for stronger cybersecurity measures after a string of attacks on financial firms and government agencies, officials in Seoul said on Wednesday. The country also plans to carry out security checks on dozens of IT systems in the private sector.
That response pushes the issue beyond any single company. If regulators expand inspections and demand tougher safeguards, the costs and workload for financial firms could increase. At the same time, the move reflects a broader effort to reduce the risk of further breaches in a sector where trust is essential.
The latest incidents also come as Japan reported a cybersecurity incident involving GMO Internet after a separate series of attacks on its financial institutions. Investigators have not established any connection between the cases, but the pattern has highlighted broader cybersecurity challenges across Asia.
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission, Daishin Securities, Bithumb and Mirae Asset Global Investments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
