South Korean police are investigating breaches at at least seven financial institutions, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank, and President Lee Jae Myung said “signs have emerged” that AI agents were used in at least some of the attacks.
The breaches came to light on 30 September. Data on at least 68,000 people was reportedly exposed, including names, phone numbers, incomes and borrowing histories; Shinhan reportedly put its own figure at about 25,000 customers. The National Office of Investigation has formed a 28-person team and traced 33 IP addresses linked to at least 12 countries.
Officials reportedly believe a Chinese cybersecurity tool called Artex AI was used, but that has not been established, and AI involvement remains a suspicion rather than a finding.
If confirmed, it would be one of the first known cases of AI agents being used to break into banks, the scenario regulators in the US and Europe are now asking banks to plan for.
Read the report: South Korean bank hacks and AI agents (The Record)