South Korea probes AI-assisted hacks of banks and megachurches
South Korean police are investigating hacks at seven financial firms that exposed data on about 66,000 people, with signs an AI hacking tool was used. Two Seoul megachurches say member records were stolen too, including data tied to up to 850,000 people at Yoido Full Gospel Church. Regulators told customers to watch for phishing and loan scams.
South Korea is dealing with a wave of data thefts, and investigators think artificial intelligence helped the hackers. Personal data on about 66,000 people, plus 2,200 company records, appears to have been stolen from seven financial firms, GovInfoSecurity reported, citing The Korea Herald.
The largest known bank victim is Shinhan Bank. It said data on 25,729 customers was stolen, including names, phone numbers and income details tied to loan applications. "We sincerely apologize for the leakage of personal information," the bank said. Yegaram Savings Bank reported 40,000 customers affected, and Hana Bank said 89. KB Kookmin Bank, Welcome Savings Bank and Hyundai Capital were also reportedly hit.
Police set up a 28-member task force on Tuesday. The attacks trace to at least 28 internet addresses in a dozen countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan. Investigators found signs of a free Chinese-language tool called Artex AI, which uses AI to find and test weak spots in computer systems. It has been on the code site GitHub since July.
How much the AI did is debated. "The AI did not act independently without human involvement," an official at the Korea Financial Security Institute said. "A hacker used the AI as a tool."
Churches were hit too. Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, once named by Guinness as the world's largest congregation, said Wednesday that data tied to 850,000 members may be compromised, Decrypt reported. The files included names, birth dates and logs of changes to ID numbers, phone numbers and addresses. A second megachurch, Sarang Church, reportedly lost about 89,000 member records.
Security firm Oasis Security found the church data on an overseas server. Attack logs there showed "AI sub-agents," helper programs an AI launches to split up a job, Decrypt reported.
President Lee Jae Myung confirmed AI is believed to have been used in the bank hacks. He urged faster use of AI for defense. "Speed is of the essence," he said.
Regulators said there are no confirmed cases of money stolen with the leaked data. Still, they warned of phishing and loan scams. Banks must set up help desks and add ID checks on loans and big transfers tied to victims.
What we know: Seven financial firms and two churches report stolen data.
What we don't: Who the attackers are and exactly how much the AI did.
Where outlets agree GovInfoSecurity and Decrypt both report Shinhan Bank lost data on about 25,000 customers and that President Lee said AI is believed to have been used in the bank hacks.
Where they differ Attack logs show AI helper programs at work, but a Korean financial security official says a human hacker was still in control.