Korea IBM, "Security Strategy Needed to Respond to AI Cyber Threats"

[Financial News] Korea IBM emphasized the need for a security strategy to respond to cyber threats following the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Lee Ji-eun, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Korea IBM, said at a press conference held at the headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on the 21st, "Companies are now recognizing that ransomware attacks are becoming more advanced and developed," and "Now, companies must have an integrated and proactive security strategy beyond technology-centric responses, which will be the key to survival."
At the event, the main contents of IBM's '2025 Data Breach Cost Research Report' were introduced, along with IBM's infrastructure and security solutions to effectively respond to advanced security threats such as ransomware.
According to the study conducted jointly by IBM and the Ponemon Institute, the global average data breach cost decreased in five years to 4.44 million dollars (approximately 6.1 billion won). This is analyzed as a result of shortened detection and response times due to the adoption of automation technologies such as development, security, and operations integration, AI and machine learning-based insights, and security analytics.
In fact, companies that extensively utilized security AI and automation had an average breach cost of 3.62 million dollars, significantly lower than companies that did not use them (5.52 million dollars). On the other hand, data breaches involving 'shadow AI' used without IT or security department approval took an average of 10 more days to detect and respond, and the related costs were 190,000 dollars higher than average.
Meanwhile, the proportion of organizations that did not negotiate in ransomware attacks last year was 63%, an increase of 4% compared to the previous year. Only 40% of organizations reported to law enforcement, but there was an average cost-saving effect of 1 million dollars when reported. Especially when the attacker disclosed the breach, the average cost reached 5.08 million dollars.
The CTO said, "Ransomware attacks are spreading not only to large enterprises but also to medium-sized companies, supply chains, and cloud environments, and new attack methods such as phishing, deepfake, multi-stage infiltration, and double extortion using generative AI are emerging," and "Strengthening AI-based security strategies and proactive internal vulnerability checks are needed." 
Meanwhile, concerns about cyber security are growing as ransomware hacking attacks have recently occurred in domestic online bookstores, guarantee insurance companies, and financial companies. 

wongood@fnnews.com Joo Won-kyu Reporter