“First Place Five Times in Six Years” ... Toss Wins Financial Sector Hacking Defense Contest Again

[Financial News] Toss, operated by Viva Republica, won the grand prize in a financial-sector security contest hosted by the Financial Security Institute. Including this year, it has taken the top spot five times in the past six years.
Industry sources said on the 13th that Toss placed first in the '2026 Financial Security AI-Powered Hacking Defense Contest,' held at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 12th.
The contest is a leading financial-sector security competition in South Korea, hosted by the Financial Security Institute and sponsored by the Financial Services Commission. This year, the existing 'Financial Security Threat Analysis Contest (FIESTA)' was revamped into a hands-on competition to test capabilities in AI-powered attacks and defense.
This time, 10 teams that qualified for the final round competed. Toss entered with four white-hat hackers from its Security Threat Assessment Team—Choi Jeong-su, Kwon Jae-seung, Kim Jae-seong and Jeon Hye-rim—under the team name 'Decaf Amaretto Latte.'
The team won the competition, receiving the Financial Services Commission Chairman's Award and 12 million won in prize money. Toss Securities also entered with four members of its Security Technology Team—Kwon Hyeok-ju, Kim Beop-seong, Kim Tae-uk and Lee Sang-hyeon—under the team name 'Kim Mong-som Fan Club' and won the Financial Security Institute President's Award, the Excellence Award (second place).
Toss affiliates have produced a winning team in this contest for six consecutive years, from 2021 through this year. Toss's security team placed first in its debut in 2021 and held on to the top spot for four consecutive years through 2024, before Toss Securities took first place in 2025.
Toss operates a dedicated security team made up of white-hat hackers. The team is responsible for proactively identifying and addressing vulnerabilities and developing its own security solutions. Toss continuously conducts cyberattack response drills and runs bug bounty programs, and maintains its security systems even in ordinary times with major domestic and international security certifications, including PCI-DSS, ISO 27001 and ISMS-P.
“Because financial services handle users’ assets and information, security is of paramount importance,” a Toss representative said, adding, “We will stay one step ahead in preparing for new threats emerging in the AI era and create a financial environment that customers can use with confidence.”
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