South Korea warns diplomats they could be at risk following hack on education system

Date:
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:35:00 +0000

Description:
Initial reports are saying up to 6,000 people might have been affected.

FULL STORY
Current and former employees of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), as well as other government personnel, may have had their data
siphoned out by cybercriminals in an attack that lasted for ten months.

The South Korean government has disclosed an attack against the online education system of its National Diplomatic Academy. The system, set up in 2022 by the countrys premier institution for educating and training
diplomats, apparently contained a security vulnerability that unnamed threat actors managed to exploit. In an announcement published on the official website of the South Korean government, both the details about the flaw, as well as about the attackers, were not disclosed.

Thousands are affected -- However, it did note that the attack
took place between April 2025 and February 2026. During these ten months, cybercriminals were able to steal user IDs, names, emails, as well as encrypted passwords of trainees in the National Diplomatic Academy Online Education System.

Unique identification information, sensitive information, mobile phone numbers, home addresses, and photos were not compromised, it said.

In response to the attack, MFA shut down its entire IT infrastructure and deployed enhanced security measures, without elaborating what these measures were. It urged all employees to remain vigilant of incoming emails, and to reach out if they receive anything suspicious.

While the official announcement lacks details, BleepingComputer reported that the attack impacted at least 6,000 individuals, 350 of them being current government attachs dispatched abroad. Citing an MFA spokesperson, the publication said the Ministry decided to disclose the incident with a five-month delay due to the sensitive nature of the attack, and the need to thoroughly analyze it before going public.

"We recognized this issue in February, but we announced it five months later because of the sensitivity of the matter regarding our diplomatic and
security affairs, and the need for careful review and analysis," said South Korea Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Park Il.

Via BleepingComputer

Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/south-korea-warns-diplomats-they-could- be-at-risk-following-hack-on-education-system

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* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * KY, USA (1:2320/107)