Seoul: The websites of South Korea's defense and environment ministries experienced service disruptions this week after being targeted by a cyberattack, according to officials. This incident follows a warning from South Korea's cybersecurity watchdog about potential hacking threats from North Korea.According to Yonhap News Agency, the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack initially targeted the defense ministry's website around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The military swiftly implemented response measures, and the website has since been restored. A subsequent attack disrupted the environment ministry's website on Wednesday morning, but it was also brought back online after a period of downtime.An official from the National Information Resources Service, part of the interior ministry, revealed that multiple ministries have been affected by DDoS attacks. Although the intensity of the attacks seems to have diminished temporarily, efforts to defend against them continue. The Joint Chiefs of Staff's website al so displayed signs of connection instability, prompting an investigation by the Cyber Operations Command.A DDoS attack involves using numerous infected devices to flood a target server or website with excessive traffic, rendering it inaccessible. A military official reported that authorities have blocked the IP addresses associated with the attack on the defense ministry's website, emphasizing that such incidents are rare for the ministry. Investigations are ongoing to identify the perpetrators behind these cyberattacks.Earlier this week, South Korea's cybersecurity watchdog urged local organizations and businesses to enhance their data protection measures amid increasing risks of hacking attacks, potentially linked to North Korea's recent military collaboration with Russia.
- October 12, 2026
