이억원 “AI활용 해킹 가능성…금융권 최고수준 경각심 가져야”

South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service Chairman cautioned on April 4th that artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to exploit recent hacking attacks in the financial sector, demanding the highest level of vigilance from all financial institutions. Unconfirmed reports indicate sensitive customer information may have been leaked through mis-scheduled debits, yet no confirmation was given.

The chairman convened a government-backed urgent meeting at Seoul City Hall, revealing multiple major breaches across banks, savings banks, and capital institutions within a short timeframe. He emphasized that lesser-maintained external websites and servers used for convenience by loan applicants and employees could be targeted.

Even with robust security measures, a single oversight could compromise overall security. He noted that while no sensitive data had been directly misused, secondary harm like voice and smishing scams was still possible. The chairman stressed the need for thorough checks and responses, warning of legal accountability for negligent oversight.

At the meeting, bank, financial investment, insurance, shipping, savings, mutual, and fintech association leaders, along with financial institution executives involved in breaches, participated. Affected financial institutions include Shinhan, KB KEB Hana, Hanara, and BNK Busan, with 2 major financial institutions reporting up to 2,200 leaked customer details from a self-audit process.