Financial Security Institute has been hit by a hacking attack, and some information related to financial companies’ security status is believed to have been leaked. As the organisation that supports security checks and assessments in the financial sector came under a cyberattack, concerns have also been raised over the possible exposure of information submitted by financial firms.

On Nov. 10, financial authorities and other officials said the institute confirmed that some information was leaked in an external hacking attack the previous day and reported the case to relevant authorities including the Financial Services Commission.

The target of the attack is known to be the institute’s “Information Protection Always-on Assessment” site. The site is a system that supports evaluations of financial companies’ information security levels and security status.

During the hacking, some security-status information submitted by financial companies for assessment may have been leaked outside, it was reported. However, the scope of the leaked information and the scale of damage have not yet been confirmed.

With a security incident occurring at an organisation that checks the financial sector’s information security level, the detailed contents of any leaked information and the extent of damage are expected to become key issues going forward.