South Korean megachurches probe suspected AI-linked cyberattacks

Two megachurches in South Korea are investigating suspected cyberattacks that may have exposed personal data of hundreds of thousands of congregants, according to the churches and a cybersecurity firm. The attacks targeted Seoul's Yoido Full Gospel Church and Sarang Church, with Oasis Security finding data, attack records, and account information on an overseas server.

The records included signs of AI tools being used during the intrusion, such as references to "sub-agents" and extensive automated attack reports. Yoido Full Gospel Church claims that up to 850,000 members' data, including names, dates of birth, national identification numbers, addresses, and telephone numbers, may have been compromised.

The church is notifying affected members and taking immediate action to secure its systems. Sarang Church has formed an emergency task force and reported the incident to authorities. The cyberattacks come amid a series of hacking attacks on South Korean commercial banks, which exposed customers' personal information. President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea stated that AI was suspected in these cyberattacks.