Government Ministries Also Targeted by Hacking Attempts... Over 2,000 Sites Identified
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] A Chinese hacker group hacked 12 domestic academic institution websites, including the Korean Language Society, which had previously warned of cyber attacks. They also warned of attacks on 2,000 domestic public institutions. The government is closely monitoring their movements and has begun investigative cooperation.
On the 25th, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) announced that 12 organizations, including the Korean Language Society, the Korean Archaeological Society, the Korean Social Science Education Society, the Korean Parents Association, the Early Childhood Education Research Institute at Korea National University of Education, the Korean Society for Basic Medical Science, the Korean East-West Psychiatry Society, the Korean Cleft Lip and Palate Society, the Korean Society for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Visually Impaired, the Jeju National University Institute of Education Science, the Korean Educational Principles Society, and the Korea Construction Policy Institute, were attacked by a Chinese hacker group.
The attack was carried out by the Chinese hacker group 'XiaoQiying,' known for its anti-Korean sentiment. XiaoQiying claimed to have hacked 70 education-related websites in South Korea ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. They also announced plans to release 54GB of data stolen from domestic public institutions.
They had also warned of hacking attacks on KISA, but so far, no unusual activity has been detected on the KISA website or related platforms.
XiaoQiying has identified about 2,000 domestic government agencies and media outlets, including KISA, as their next hacking targets.
In a Telegram chat room, they claimed that the cyber attacks were "retaliation for South Korea's restrictions on short-term visa issuance to Chinese nationals." They also stated, "A Korean streaming-related star angered us," and added, "We are a 'free group' not working for the Chinese government and will use South Korea as a training ground."
It is reported that an organization presumed to be affiliated with groups like XiaoQiying attempted unauthorized access targeting some of the 113 institutions, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and related agencies, whose cybersecurity is managed by the MCST Cybersecurity Center. However, these attempts were automatically blocked by system monitoring functions.
Recently, XiaoQiying leaked personal information of 161 employees from domestic companies and institutions on 'GitHub.' The leaked data includes names, IDs, passwords, mobile phone numbers, office phone numbers, addresses, and other details. The information covers not only government agencies but also employees presumed to be from general companies such as POSCO, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and LG Electronics.
It is also known that information on prosecutors, police officers, and spouses of current government ministers was included.
The Ministry of Science and ICT, KISA, security authorities, the National Intelligence Service, and the police have started joint investigations into this hacking incident. The government plans to closely monitor their activities.
Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited the KISA Internet Incident Response Center (KISC) the day before to inspect the cyber attack response system.
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