Finance & Banking

South Korean authorities opened emergency investigations after cyber incidents at major banks including Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, and Hana Bank, with reported customer and credit-card data exposed. Officials confirmed a breach at Shinhan Bank and said other banks were affected, while local reports said Shinhan exposed data on 25,000 customers and Kookmin leaked credit-card information on 119,000 clients. Yonhap reported a server artifact pointing to ARTEX AI, an open-source agentic penetration-testing framework, but authorities have not confirmed the tool or attributed the attacks. — This affects bank customers directly and suggests attackers may be using AI tools to speed up reconnaissance and intrusion work against financial institutions. Banks should urgently review internet-exposed systems and access controls, while affected customers should watch for fraud and account abuse.