South Korean authorities have launched an investigation into whether artificial intelligence (AI) systems played an active role in a wave of recent hacking incidents that compromised customer data across several major domestic banks. Speaking during a livestreamed cabinet meeting, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung disclosed that preliminary evidence points toward automated technology being deployed during the intrusions.
Disclosures from the targeted lenders detail the extent of the exposure with Shinhan Bank disclosing last week that sensitive personal credit records belonging to roughly 25,000 customers were compromised. South Korea’s National Office of Investigation opened the inquiries into the security breaches after multiple high-profile financial institutions reported compromised data, according to local reports from Yonhap News Agency. Similar concerns emerged in Australia last month, where authorities revealed multiple government website breaches.
Lee told officials: “It’s now become possible to use A.I. to hack with ease even without specialized skills. President Lee warned that rapid leaps in machine learning are radically lowering the technical barrier required to execute complex cyber offensives. Those included a June breach where OpenAI agents infiltrated an official portal storing information tied to Australia’s public health insurance program.
Representatives from Anthropic and OpenAI testified before Australia’s Parliament on Tuesday regarding artificial intelligence safety and cybersecurity safeguards.