Shinhan Bank data leak hits 25,000 customers; watchdog launches inspection
Shinhan Bank said personal information of about 25,000 customers was leaked through hacking on Wednesday. South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service sent a team to inspect, while sources suspect overseas hackers used AI tools.
The bank said loan borrowing by customers, their annual income, names and phone numbers were leaked on Wednesday via hacking. Shinhan Bank said it took emergency steps to minimize potential damage from the leak and later completed safety measures, including blocking access from external IP addresses and suspending the affected services. The lender also said it launched a response team to make all-out efforts to address the situation.
Sources said the hackers, currently suspected to be based overseas, used advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the attacks. Experts said Shinhan Bank does not appear to have been specifically targeted but was likely caught in random AI-powered attacks on vulnerable online platforms. They said the case underscored the need for other financial institutions to remain vigilant and block abnormal access attempts.
"The entire financial industry is vulnerable to AI agent-assisted attacks. Financial institutions need to promptly conduct their own security inspections to address potential vulnerabilities," an industry official said.
The Financial Supervisory Service sent a team to examine the data leak earlier in the day, with the investigation expected to take months.