South Korea — Cyber Threat Profile
South Korea is a highly advanced cyber nation operating under constant threat, primarily from North Korea's Lazarus Group and affiliated actors. KrCERT coordinates national incident response, and the government has invested heavily in critical infrastructure protection across energy, finance, and defense sectors. High-value targets include semiconductor IP, defense technology, and K-pop entertainment platforms. The country maintains offensive cyber capabilities and conducts active threat hunting. Espionage campaigns targeting government and military networks are persistent and sophisticated. Public-private partnerships underpin the national cybersecurity strategy. South Korea also faces Chinese state-sponsored intrusions targeting supply chains and research institutions, requiring a multi-vector defensive posture.- National CERT/CSIRT: KrCERT/CC
- Data protection authority: Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) (source: CNIL)
- World Cybercrime Index 2024 (origin significance): 0.79 / 100, #36 worldwide
- Secure Internet servers per 1M people (2024): 11,902.4 (source: World Bank)
- Internet users (2024): 97.9% of population (source: World Bank)
Latest South Korea coverage
- North Korean spies hid a backdoor inside a load balancer 2026-09-04 · Nation-State
- Hackers quietly turn Korean PCs into proxies and VPNs 2026-09-04 · Cyber Incidents
- Fake seafood order hides North Korean spy script 2026-09-02 · Nation-State
- Shortcut files became the top APT lure in South Korea 2026-08-28 · Nation-State
- Korean firms hit by backdoor tied to North Korean hackers 2026-08-06 · Nation-State
- Fake document files give hackers remote control of PCs 2026-08-03 · Cyber Incidents
- Hacked Korean websites pushed spy backdoors and Gunra ransomware 2026-07-30 · Nation-State
- Fake invoices and proposals target Korean firms with stealer malware 2026-07-13 · Cyber Incidents
- Fake job applications spread Vidar infostealer that hides on Steam and Telegram 2026-07-07 · Cyber Incidents
- North Korean hackers flood South Korea with booby-trapped shortcut files 2026-06-29 · Nation-State
Threat actors targeting South Korea
- Andariel APT
- APT37 APT
- Kimsuky APT
- Lazarus Group APT
- Winnti Group APT
- Qilin Ransomware · 27 incident(s)
- Black X Ransomware · 4 incident(s)
- KillSec Ransomware · 3 incident(s)
- Barracuda Ransomware · 2 incident(s)
- Cl0p Ransomware · 2 incident(s)
- Gunra Ransomware · 2 incident(s)
- INC Ransom Ransomware · 2 incident(s)
- Nova Ransomware · 2 incident(s)
- 8Base Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Akira Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Audit Team Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Black Locks Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Coinbase Cartel Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- CRPxO Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Crypto24 Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- DragonForce Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Emperador Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- FunkSec Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Global Secret Group Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Hunters International Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- LockBit Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Lynx Ransomware Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- NightSpire Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Panzer Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- RansomHub Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- SafePay Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Settra Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Space Bears Ransomware · 1 incident(s)
- Stormous Hacktivist · 1 incident(s)
- NoName057(16) Hacktivist
Most targeted sectors
- Manufacturing 16 incident(s)
- Financial Services 14 incident(s)
- Technology 11 incident(s)
- Healthcare 4 incident(s)
- Business & Professional Services 3 incident(s)
- Construction 2 incident(s)
- Education & Research 2 incident(s)
- Energy & Utilities 2 incident(s)
- Transportation & Logistics 2 incident(s)
- Entertainment & Media 1 incident(s)
- Real Estate 1 incident(s)
- Retail & Consumer 1 incident(s)
Recent claimed incidents
- Kwang Myung Industrial (광명산업) 2026-09-05 · Manufacturing
- iwin 2026-09-01 · Technology
- i-one 2026-08-30
- Hanwha Renewables 2026-08-28 · Energy & Utilities
- industry.airliquide.kr 2026-08-25 · Manufacturing
- Namyang Industrial Co., Ltd. 2026-08-23 · Manufacturing
- DL E&C 2026-08-17 · Manufacturing
- HIGEN MOTOR(critical data) 2026-08-10 · Manufacturing
- Namyang Industrial Co., Ltd. \ NAMYANG NEXMO 2026-08-06 · Manufacturing
- worldtube 2026-08-04 · Technology
- HYUNDAI 2026-07-31 · Manufacturing
- Nexon Corp. 2026-07-26 · Technology
- DoAllTech 2026-07-21 · Technology
- stni.co.kr 2026-06-29
- doosan.com 2026-06-28 · Manufacturing