Personal information of around 25,000 customers has been leaked from Shinhan Bank, the lender said Thursday, prompting the financial watchdog to conduct an on-site inspection.
According to the bank, loan borrowing by customers, their annual income, names and phone numbers were leaked on Wednesday via hacking. Shinhan said it took emergency steps to minimize potential damage from the leak.
Sources said the hackers, currently suspected to be based overseas, utilized advanced artificial intelligence 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, underscoring 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, meanwhile, sent a team to examine the data leak earlier in the day, with the investigation expected to take months.
Shinhan Bank said it has launched a response team to make all-out efforts to address the situation and has completed safety measures, including blocking access from external IP addresses and suspending the affected services. (Yonhap)