Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin said hacking incidents had occurred at major financial investment firms and demanded that the industry as a whole step up information technology (IT) security. Breaches in the financial investment industry are following one after another, with signs of external intrusion also emerging at Mirae Asset Asset Management after Daishin Securities.
At a meeting with the chairs of bank holding company boards at the FSS in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 28th, Lee said, “I understand that hacking incidents have occurred broadly at major financial investment firms yesterday.” Regarding the recent string of breaches at financial companies, he pointed out, “As cyberattack methods become more sophisticated by the day, attacks are showing an all-out pattern, with targets expanding to non-core facilities.”
Lee also voiced wariness about the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) technology being used as an attack tool. “As AI is used as a hacking tool, security vulnerabilities will be easily detected and simultaneous attacks will likely become routine,” he said. “Financial companies themselves must quickly build a self-defense system that thoroughly manages IT assets and proactively finds and removes security vulnerabilities.” He also said IT security is a core task that protects customers’ assets and information and underpins trust in the financial sector, and asked financial holding company boards to take an active role.
Hacking damage that began in the banking sector appears to be spreading to the financial investment industry. At Daishin Securities, the personal data of 38,490 customers was confirmed on the same day to have leaked. It started when signs of abnormal access were detected on the 17th on a server linked to the opening of non-face-to-face discretionary investment securities accounts. The company said it examined the scope of the breach together with the Korea Financial Security Institute and that no signs of secondary damage had emerged so far.
Mirae Asset Asset Management has also found traces of abnormal external access and is investigating how the incident occurred and the extent of the damage. Specific details of the damage, such as whether personal data was taken, have not yet emerged. Earlier, a customer data leak also occurred at Mirae Asset Life Insurance, prompting the FSS to launch an on-site inspection.