South Korea's Lee says AI appears to have been used in bank hacks


FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech during the 78th Armed Forces Day at a military base in Gyeryong-City, South Korea, 01 October 2026. JEON HEON-KYUN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL, Oct 6 (Reuters) - South ⁠Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that AI models ⁠are believed to have been used in some recent hacking ‌incidents against banks and called for the country to develop cybersecurity methods suited to the AI era.

• "In some hacking incidents, signs have emerged of AI being used, causing ​considerable public concern and anxiety," Lee said during ⁠a cabinet meeting."Please establish the ⁠circumstances swiftly and clearly, and concentrate personnel and resources on minimising the ⁠damage."

• ‌South Korea's police have launched a full-scale investigation into the hacking attacks against commercial banks that led to a breach ⁠of customers' personal information, the Yonhap news agency reported ​on Tuesday.

• Shinhan ‌Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and others had reportedcyberattacks, the Financial Services ⁠Commission (FSC) said on ​Friday, whileYonhap reported that Hana Bank and Woori Bank had also suffered breaches.

• Authorities have not yet discloseddetails on what kind of AI tools were ⁠used in the hacking incidents or the ​full scale of the breaches.

• On Sunday, FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon convened an emergency meeting with financial industry associations, regulators and executives from affected institutions, ⁠warning that the sector must respond with the highest level of vigilance.

• InSeptember, Australia said an OpenAI agentbreached a government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorised access to files, in what could be the first ​known instance of an AI agent hacking ⁠a government website.

• An artificial intelligence research firm said last week that AI ​agents tried to hack into a Canadian ‌government website, casting the effort as ​a failed hacking attempt, while Canada said there were no indications its systems were compromised.

(Reporting by Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)

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