KB Kookmin Bank suffers info leak raising concerns over data breach at other lender

Customer information of KB Kookmin Bank, a major commercial bank, has been breached following a similar incident by its rival Shinhan Bank, industry sources said Friday, stoking worries over widespread data leaks in the banking sector. According to the sources, personal data of over 100 KB Kookmin Bank customers had been stolen via hacking. On Thursday, Shinhan Bank said personal information of around 25,000 customers, such as their annual income, names and phone numbers, had been leaked. Sources said the hackers, currently suspected to be based overseas, utilized advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the attacks to extract information. Shinhan Bank 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, according to insiders. The entire financial industry is feared to be vulnerable to AI agent-assisted attacks, raising the need for financial institutions to promptly conduct their own security inspections to address potential vulnerabilities.