(LEAD) Financial Security Institute reports data leak following hacking attack

South Korea's state-run Financial Security Institute (FSI) disclosed a data leak following a hacking attack on its security assessment system, officials announced on Tuesday. The FSI, responsible for overseeing financial information from banks and insurers, identified the breach the day prior, according to financial authorities.

The institute noticed unauthorized external access at 3 p.m. on Monday and promptly halted the compromised system, officials revealed. Subsequently, the FSI notified the Financial Services Commission and the state-run Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) about the leak. The compromised data originated from the FSI website utilized for conducting security assessments of financial institutions.

The leaked information comprised approximately 200 administration forms, around 300 personal details such as names and birthdates, and roughly 350 pieces of data related to users of the system. Tuesday's cyberattack is characterized by the hacker frequently altering internet protocol addresses to masquerade as legitimate access.