South Korea Orders Investigation Into AI-Powered Cyberattacks on Major Banks
South Korea's president ordered an investigation into breaches at major banks exposing ~65,000 customers' data; infrastructure tied to AI pen-testing framework ARTEX AI.
President Lee Jae Myung ordered a comprehensive investigation after Shinhan Bank disclosed a breach affecting about 25,000 customers, with KB Kookmin, Hana Bank, BNK Busan Bank, Yegaram Savings Bank (~40,000 customers) and Hyundai Capital (146 loan agents) also reporting exposures. Leaked data included names, phone numbers, annual income, loan limits and some resident registration numbers, though no payment credentials or unauthorized transactions were found. Investigators found a Chinese-language string reading 'AI autonomous penetration testing console' on infrastructure linked to the Shinhan intrusion, associated with the open-source ARTEX AI framework, but actual use of the tool is unproven; reports tie the incident to credential stuffing. The Financial Services Commission held an emergency sector-wide meeting and regulators are pushing AI-driven detection, credential-stuffing monitoring, and phishing-resistant MFA.