Seoul National University hit by 28 cyberattacks over six years; 1,132 personal data records leaked

[Financial News] Seoul National University suffered 28 hacking incidents over the past six years, resulting in the leak of more than 1,100 records of personal information. The leaked data included the names, email addresses and portal IDs of university members, as well as researchers’ résumés and biographical profiles.
On the 11th, according to materials obtained from Seoul National University by Baek Seung-a, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Education Committee, the university recorded a total of 28 hacking incidents from 2021 through this year. Personal information was confirmed to have been leaked in two of those incidents, involving 1,132 records.
The number of hacking incidents by year was eight in 2021, 10 in 2022, one in 2024, five last year and four this year. Department systems were the most affected, accounting for 19 incidents (67.9%).
The incident involving the largest amount of leaked personal information occurred in September 2021. Hackers installed malicious software on Seoul National University’s servers that could execute remote commands, stealing 1,130 records of personal information, including university members’ names, email addresses, portal IDs and affiliations.
In May 2024, a network-attached storage (NAS) device at an on-campus research institute was hacked, resulting in the leak of files including the résumés and biographical profiles of two researchers. No personal information leaks were confirmed in the remaining 26 hacking incidents.
Hacking attempts targeting Seoul National University have increased year by year. They rose from 561 in 2024 to 575 last year, and 588 had been detected by the end of September this year. That figure has already surpassed last year’s total for the full year.
Seoul National University said, “We detect and block hacking attempts in real time through security monitoring,” adding, “We are strengthening information-sharing systems with relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Education and the National Intelligence Service, and improving our response capabilities through joint simulation exercises and other measures.” However, it was found that the university had not asked investigative authorities to investigate any personal information leak incidents.
Baek said, “Hacking at Seoul National University could lead not only to the leakage of personal information but also to the loss of national research data and findings,” stressing that “the causes of incidents must be thoroughly examined and information security measures strengthened.”
[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter