South Korea’s banking sector is facing renewed cybersecurity concerns after KB Kookmin Bank confirmed that customer information had been exposed, coming just a day after a major data breach at rival Shinhan Bank.
Industry and financial authorities said Friday that personal information involving more than 100 KB Kookmin Bank customers had been stolen through an external intrusion. Yonhap separately reported that the affected data came from a system used by employees for mobile work support.
KB Kookmin Bank reportedly detected abnormal external access and moved to block the affected server and access route after identifying the potential leak.
Importantly, the bank said the compromised system was not connected to customers’ internet banking or mobile banking transactions. The incident therefore differs from a direct breach of systems used to conduct customers’ financial transactions.
The disclosure comes shortly after Shinhan Bank revealed that personal information belonging to about 25,000 customers had been leaked. The information reportedly included names, phone numbers, annual income and loan-related details.
Authorities are now examining whether the two incidents point to a wider cybersecurity vulnerability across South Korea’s financial sector.
Sources cited by The Korea Times said the attackers involved in the recent incidents are suspected of operating from overseas and using advanced artificial-intelligence tools to extract information. Financial-sector insiders have warned that AI-assisted attacks could create new vulnerabilities for banks and other institutions.
The Financial Services Commission and Financial Supervisory Service have been informed of the KB Kookmin Bank incident and are discussing further response measures. Authorities are also considering the possibility of additional damage as they examine the circumstances surrounding the breach.
The back-to-back incidents involving two major South Korean banks have intensified attention on how financial institutions defend employee-facing systems and other digital platforms from increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
For KB Kookmin Bank customers, the bank has emphasized that the compromised system was separate from its core internet and mobile banking transaction systems. Meanwhile, regulators continue to examine the incident and assess whether further security measures are necessary.
With one major bank already reporting a breach affecting tens of thousands of customers and another now confirming a separate information leak, South Korea’s financial sector is confronting fresh questions over whether existing cybersecurity defenses can keep pace with increasingly AI-assisted attacks.
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