Foreign Ministry Assumes Significant Data Breach in Korea National Diplomatic Academy Hacking

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is assuming a significant amount of information has been leaked following a hacking attack on the online education system of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, which is responsible for training diplomats and other personnel.

The Foreign Ministry explained today (July 21) that while there is currently insufficient technical evidence to identify the perpetrator and it is difficult to calculate the exact scale of the damage, they are operating under the assumption that a substantial volume of data was compromised.

According to the investigation, an unidentified attacker exploited an undisclosed security vulnerability (zero-day vulnerability) in the server software and weaknesses in system security settings. The attacker reportedly seized control of the server between April and May of last year and maintained access until February of this year.

The Foreign Ministry explained that it urgently shut down the system in early February following notification from relevant authorities and has been conducting a joint investigation with those agencies.

The ministry previously stated that the compromised system stored information such as the names and IDs of trainees, but it is difficult to specify the exact details of the leaked data.

The Korea National Diplomatic Academy, an affiliate of the Foreign Ministry, develops and operates education and training programs for diplomats, government officials, and personnel working in international affairs across the public sector.

It also serves as a think tank for the Foreign Ministry in the fields of foreign affairs and national security.

As it was belatedly discovered that the hacking continued for nine months, concerns are being raised that the personal information of diplomats or intelligence personnel dispatched overseas may have been leaked.

(Photo: Screenshot from Korea National Diplomatic Academy Twitter, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.