[COVER STORY] Bithumb, Mirae Asset, Daishin join growing list of cyberattack victims

Brokerage firm Daishin Securities, cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb and asset manager Mirae Asset Global Investments have become the latest victims of cyberattacks sweeping the country's financial sector, putting firms and regulators on heightened alert. The suspected artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted attacks, first reported in the banking sector late last month, have spread across the financial sector, fueling customer concerns about financial firms’ ability to detect and respond to attacks. While financial authorities are investigating how the recent breaches occurred and who was responsible, large-scale scanning attempts targeting financial systems from North Korean internet protocol (IP) address ranges have been confirmed for the first time. Authorities, however, cautioned against linking the recent attacks to North Korea. "IP addresses alone cannot establish an attacker’s nationality or affiliation because address information can be manipulated and traffic routed through other locations," an official at the Financial Security Institute (FSI) said. Daishin said on Wednesday th