South Korea investigates possible use of AI in hacks on its banks

SOUTH Korean officials are investigating whether artificial intelligence agents were involved in recent hacking incidents against banks in the country.

President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday (Oct 6) that “signs have emerged” that AI models had been used in some of the cyberattacks, “causing considerable public concern and anxiety.”

He told his Cabinet to confirm what had happened “swiftly and clearly,” and to deploy personnel and resources to minimise the damage. No details were provided about who was behind the hacks.

The National Office of Investigation has started an injury into several cyberattacks against financial companies, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank, in which customer information had been leaked, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Shinhan Bank said in a statement last week that the personal credit information of about 25,000 people had been leaked. Separately, Hana Bank said that the information of 89 customers was leaked, while Kookmin said that, in its case, 99 customers and 20 current or former employees were affected.

Countries around the world are grappling with the increasing abilities of AI agents, raising alarm about the pace of their development and whether laws are ready for the challenges posed by the fast-evolving technology.

“It’s now become possible to use AI to hack with ease even without specialised skills,” Lee said at the meeting, which was livestreamed.

Last month, Australian officials disclosed a series of breaches of government websites, including a June incident in which OpenAI agents infiltrated a data portal containing information on the public health insurance system that covers most Australians.

On Tuesday, representatives from OpenAI and Anthropic testified in Australia’s Parliament about the issues of AI and security.

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For businesses and governments, any kind of data breach can erode credibility and consumer trust, said Olivia Shen, director of the strategic technologies programme at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney in Australia.

“You’re trying to keep pace at where the technology frontier is, and I’m sure that’s incredibly difficult, but it’s become just essential risk management,” she said.

The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to AI systems. The two companies have denied those claims. NYTIMES