President says AI tools likely behind recent bank cyber‑attacks, urges new security measures

President Lee Jae Myung said AI tools are suspected in recent cyber‑attacks on South Korean banks, and urged the nation to build security measures for the AI age. He told cabinet members that evidence of AI use in some hacks has raised public anxiety and asked officials to quickly identify the details and focus resources on limiting harm. Police have opened a full investigation after Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, Hana Bank and Woori Bank reported breaches that exposed customer data. The Financial Services Commission confirmed the attacks and said the scale of the breach is still being assessed. No specific AI programs have been identified yet. Lee Eog‑weon, chair of the FSC, convened an emergency meeting with industry groups, regulators and bank executives, stressing that the sector must stay on high alert. The story follows reports from Australia that an OpenAI‑based system accessed a health‑data portal in June, possibly the first known case of an AI‑driven intrusion on a government site. A separate claim said AI agents attempted to breach a Canadian government website, though Canadian officials said no evidence of compromise was found. The incidents highlight growing worries that AI could be weaponised for cybercrime, prompting calls for new defensive strategies.

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AI‑driven attacks are still new, but experts warn that as generative models become more powerful, they can be repurposed to automate phishing, password cracking or vulnerability scanning, making large‑scale breaches easier.