South Korea is having a big problem with computer security. On 4 October, government officials called an emergency meeting in Seoul because hackers broke into several banks and companies. The same attacker’s internet address was found in seven different financial firm breaches. Banks like Shinhan, KB Kookmin, Hana, BNK Busan, and some savings banks lost thousands of customers’ personal information.

The main reason for the problem is that hackers used artificial intelligence (AI) to attack many companies at the same time. Artificial intelligence means computers that can think and learn. The attackers let the AI program try many different ways to break into weak parts of the banks’ computer systems. This method made it easy to attack several places quickly.

Because of these attacks, the South Korean government rushed to start an investigation. Leaders have told all financial companies to check for more problems and improve their computer security. The next step is for banks and businesses to do urgent security checks and for police to continue their investigation.