Seoul: Data from around 20 asset management firms in South Korea were breached in a hacking incident earlier this month, industry sources said Monday. A cloud server maintained by an IT subcontractor and used mostly by local small and medium-sized private equity funds was hacked by the Russian-speaking ransomware gang Qilin.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Qilin claimed that the leaked data include the firms' tax-related documents, employee data, and personal information of their investors. Financial authorities stated they have yet to receive any reports of credit information leaks that could lead to monetary damage. They also mentioned being aware of the data breach in advance and have been monitoring the situation.
The incident adds to a growing list of cyber breach cases in the financial sector. Previously, Lotte Card Co., the country's fifth-largest card issuer, experienced a data leak affecting around 3 million customers in a hacking attack.