The key facts

  • Daishin Securities reported a leak of data on 38,490 clients: names, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers
  • Mirae Asset Global Investments and the crypto exchange Bithumb reported separate incidents without confirming the theft of client data
  • The September wave of attacks was linked by researchers to a suspected hacker in China who used the AI tool Artex; the cause of the new breaches is still under investigation

A new wave of attacks a month after the September series

Financial institutions in South Korea have come under a new wave of cyberattacks. This time, the incidents affected the brokerage firm Daishin Securities, the asset manager Mirae Asset Global Investments, and the cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb. This is reported by TechCrunch, noting that the attack occurred roughly a month after a series of breaches of South Korean financial organizations, which raised questions about vulnerabilities not only in the country's banking system.

Data leak at Daishin and uncertainty over Mirae and Bithumb

According to local news outlets, Daishin reported a cyberattack that exposed the personal data of 38,490 clients — names, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers. The company notified the affected clients, is cooperating with the investigation, and promised to compensate losses in accordance with the law. Mirae Asset and Bithumb reported separate security incidents on Wednesday, but neither company confirmed that client data had been stolen. The cause of the latest breaches is still being investigated by officials.

Link to the September attacks and the regulator's response

The September wave of attacks was linked by researchers to a suspected hacker based in China who used an AI-powered pentesting tool called Artex — an episode that illustrates the growing risk of AI-enhanced hacking in Asia. South Korea's financial regulator called for stronger cybersecurity measures after a string of attacks on financial firms and government agencies, and plans to conduct security checks of dozens of IT systems in the private sector. TechCrunch also notes that the day before, Japan reported an incident at the internet giant GMO Internet following a series of attacks on its financial institutions; investigators have not established a connection between the incidents in the region. The Financial Services Commission, Daishin, Bithumb, and Mirae Asset did not respond to requests for comment.