Following similar incidents at major commercial institutions like Shinhan, KB Kookmin, and Hana banks, a regional financial institution has now fallen victim to a cyberattack. BNK Busan Bank announced that it experienced a data leakage incident resulting from an external hacking attempt targeting its web servers.

According to the bank, the security breach occurred around 9:00 PM on October 1, when external forces launched an automated attack utilizing an artificial intelligence (AI) agent. While Busan Bank's primary defense systems successfully blocked the main thrust of the attack, a subsequent security audit revealed a vulnerability. Specifically, due to inadequate session verification on certain web pages, the personal information of 11 outsourced development staff members was exposed externally.

The compromised data is limited to four specific categories: names, phone numbers, dates of birth, and email addresses. The bank explained that the breach originated from hacking attempts aimed at its internal mobile sales support system. However, Busan Bank strongly emphasized that the scope of the leakage is strictly confined to the credentials of external personnel, confirming that no general customer data was accessed or leaked.

In response to the incident, a Busan Bank representative stated, "We immediately blocked the compromised web pages and promptly reported the situation to the financial authorities." The official added, "To guard against potential secondary attacks leveraging high-performance AI, we are significantly upgrading our monitoring systems, including a comprehensive, full-scale inspection of all externally accessible web pages."

This incident highlights the growing threat landscape as malicious actors increasingly deploy advanced AI agents to probe corporate defenses. Financial institutions across South Korea remain on high alert as cyber threats continue to evolve in sophistication and scale.