South Korea’s financial sector has been hit by another round of cyberattacks. The latest incidents involve two brokerages and a major crypto exchange.
Daishin Securities, Mirae Asset Global Investments, and Bithumb all reported security problems this week. Local media first reported the news on Wednesday, October 28.
Daishin Confirms Customer Data Exposure
Daishin Securities said a cyberattack exposed the personal information of 38,490 customers. The leaked data included names, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers.
The company said it has notified the affected customers. It is also working with authorities on the investigation.
Daishin added that it will pay customers for any losses as required by law.
Mirae Asset Global Investments and Bithumb reported separate cybersecurity incidents on the same day. Neither company has confirmed that customer data was taken.
Bithumb is a crypto exchange where users buy and sell bitcoin and other digital assets. Mirae Asset Global Investments is an asset management firm.
Officials are still looking into what caused the latest breaches. No group has been named as responsible so far.
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission, Daishin Securities, Bithumb, and Mirae Asset Global Investments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A Second Wave in Two Months
The new incidents come about a month after an earlier series of attacks on South Korean financial firms. Reuters reported in mid-October that hacking incidents had hit a total of 16 financial companies.
Security firm CrowdStrike linked the September attacks to a suspected China-based hacker. The firm said the hacker used an AI penetration testing tool called Artex.
Penetration testing tools are normally used by security teams to find weak spots in computer systems. In this case, researchers said the tool was used to carry out attacks.
It is not yet known whether the latest breaches are tied to the same hacker or the same tool.
Other parts of Asia have also reported attacks. On Tuesday, Japanese internet company GMO Internet said hackers had posted stolen customer data.
That incident followed a series of attacks on Japanese financial institutions. Investigators have not found a link between the attacks in Japan and those in South Korea.
South Korea’s financial regulator called for stronger cybersecurity measures on Wednesday. Officials in Seoul said the request followed a string of attacks on financial firms and government agencies.
The government also plans to run security checks on dozens of IT systems in the private sector.
