Suspect in AI-assisted hacking of about 90 companies apprehendedThreatened, “Pay up or we’ll leak the data”; seven arrestedAn individual, not a professional group, used AI for large-scale hacking
A group that used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to hack systems and steal more than 8.2 million pieces of personal information and internal company data, then demanded about KRW 360 million from the victimized companies and threatened them, has been apprehended.
The arrest of suspect A, the ringleader who used generative AI to carry out hacking. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
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On October 26, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Cyber Investigation Unit said it had apprehended seven people, including A, 32, on suspicion of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, and of extortion and attempted extortion. From September 2025 through October 2026, over a period of 13 months, they used generative AI and other means to break into the systems of about 90 companies, steal 8.2 million pieces of personal information, and demand money from the victims. The victims included not only small and midsize businesses such as private academies, hospitals, golf courses, and funeral service providers, but also affiliates of large corporations.On October 23, police sent A, the ringleader who personally carried out the hacking, to prosecutors in custody on suspicion of stealing about 900,000 pieces of personal information from 15 companies that had reported the incidents. Police plan to conduct further investigations into the allegations involving the 75 affected companies that have not yet filed reports before referring the case to prosecutors. The other six accomplices are being investigated without detention.The investigation began in June 2026 after one of the affected companies filed a complaint. As reports of similar attacks came in from across the country, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Cyber Investigation Division took charge of the case in August 2026 and consolidated the investigations.Police apprehended five accomplices who threatened employees of the victimized companies by phone and text message, as well as accomplice B, 24, who instructed them to commit the crimes.This month, police analyzed and traced log data and other evidence from the victimized companies, leading to the arrest of ringleader A. A search of A’s home in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, secured key evidence, including computers and hacking tools used in the attacks, as well as accounts used to make threats.Police determined that the group had threatened 38 companies and demanded about KRW 360 million in total. However, the amount they actually received was just KRW 300,000.
An example of a text message demanding money after stealing personal information from within a company. National Police Agency.
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According to police, A had no formal background in information technology and learned hacking techniques on his own through blogs, YouTube, and other sources. From 2019 to 2022, he worked for a security company, conducting penetration tests. Early in the operation, he manually used automated tools designed to find website vulnerabilities to carry out hacks. But starting in August 2026, he used generative AI to launch fast and wide-ranging cyberattacks, targeting one company per day.Police also confirmed that the group used an “AI autonomous penetration-testing system” to carry out the hacks, the same system used recently to steal personal information from the financial sector.
A scene from the search of the residence of A, the alleged ringleader. National Police Agency
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This case has demonstrated that, with the help of AI, even individuals who are not part of professional hacking organizations can carry out large-scale attacks against multiple companies.The National Investigation Headquarters and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had been discussing response measures in anticipation of an increase in cyberattacks involving the misuse of AI. The National Investigation Headquarters provided the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency with high-performance AI computers, and the agency developed three AI analysis tools as part of an “internal-network generative AI analysis system” that prevents investigative materials from being transmitted externally. The tools were used in this case.Oh Gyu-sik, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Second Cybercrime Investigation Unit, said, “The effectiveness of the AI analysis tools was demonstrated: they reduced the number of personnel required for investigations and shortened the investigation period to four months.”
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He added, “This is the first case in South Korea in which a perpetrator has been apprehended in connection with large-scale hacking and personal information theft involving the misuse of generative AI. We plan to expand the use of AI in investigations and actively respond to increasingly sophisticated cybercrime.”
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