Hacking attempts targeting the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, among other health authorities, have surged. In particular, hacking attempts against the disease agency reached 17,742 through July this year, more than 1,200 times higher than in 2022, four years ago.
However, no cases have been confirmed to have led to actual damage so far. Observers said the security framework must be strengthened, as these agencies handle sensitive health care data such as people's clinical and health insurance information.
On the 8th, according to materials obtained by the office of Heo Jong-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, from the Ministry and its affiliated agencies, hacking attempts targeting the Ministry rose from 3,294 in 2022 to 11,568 through July this year.
This is 206 more than the 11,362 attempts recorded over the three years from 2023 to 2025. Compared with 2023 alone, it is 4.5 times higher.
There were even more hacking attempts targeting the disease agency. The tally reached 17,742 through July this year. That is more than 1,200 times the 14 recorded in 2022.
Accordingly, hacking attempts targeting five agencies—the Ministry, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, and the National Health Insurance Service—increased from 4,576 in 2022 to 32,423 through July this year. That is more than seven times higher in four years.
The purposes of hacking varied by agency. For the Ministry, the disease agency, and the drug safety ministry, most attempts appeared aimed at information leaks or information collection.
In the Ministry's case, of 26,224 hacking attempts over the past five years, 16,854—64.3%—were for information leaks or collection.
For HIRA and the National Health Insurance Service, there were relatively many attempts aimed at spreading malware, abnormal communications, or disrupting website services.
The accessing countries used in the hacking attempts were mainly the United States, China, Germany, India, and others. There were also hacking attempts originating domestically. Over the past five years, the Ministry recorded 1,595 domestic hacking attempts, the drug safety ministry 563, and the disease agency 344.
Information held by health care institutions includes sensitive data ranging from individuals' disease and treatment records to health insurance usage details. Observers said preemptive security management is needed, as hacking could lead to large-scale personal data leaks.
Heo Jong-sik said, "Hacking attempts targeting major institutions in the health and welfare sector have surged this year," and added, "As these agencies handle the public's sensitive health information, the security framework must be thoroughly reviewed."