Fines won't fix problem: Korea needs new playbook as AI changes hacking paradigm

Fines and stricter regulations are insufficient to combat a surge in suspected artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted cyberattacks targeting South Korea's financial industry, according to a cybersecurity expert. In a recent interview, Lim Jong-in, chair of the AI committee at Soongsil University, stressed the need for a government task force to overhaul the nation's cybersecurity defenses.

Lim, a former presidential special adviser on cybersecurity, argued that humans are no longer able to keep pace with AI agents' hacking threats, signaling a fundamental shift in the cybersecurity landscape. He urged both the government and private sector to rethink their approaches to defending against cyberattacks, warning that such attacks will only become more sophisticated in the future.

The expert's call for action comes as suspected AI-assisted cyberattacks have been detected in various sectors, including commercial banks, brokerages, and cryptocurrency exchanges.