[Exclusive] South Korean defense companies lacking cyber security workforce

Contractors go unmonitored, leaving loopholes for North Korean hackers to exploit, lawmaker says

People Power Party Rep. Lim Jong-deuk, former deputy national security adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol (Lim’s office)

Even South Korea’s largest defense companies do not have adequate cyber security workforce in place, and their contractors exempt from government monitoring, leaving loopholes for cyber threats, Rep. Lim Jong-deuk said Monday, citing Defense Acquisition Program Administration data.

According to DAPA data submitted to Lim’s office, as of this year, just 0.6 percent or 124 of 18,043 defense-related employees across 18 largest defense companies in South Korea were in charge of cyber security.

More troubling is the spike in leaks at the defense companies’ contractors, which are not subject to government cyber security surveys, seen so far this year.

From January to August 2024, 19 leaks were reported at contractors working with defense companies. This marks a rise from six reports of leak logged throughout 2023. There were 12 leaks reported in 2022, 16 in 2021, and three in 2020.

Cyber attacks account for the vast majority of leak accidents, data showed. Out of the total 56 reported leaks from 2020 until August, 37 were caused by cyber attacks.

A similar rise in leaks from cyber attacks were observed at defense companies this year.

Over the first months of 2024, 14 of the reported leaks were due to cyber attacks. By compaison, four of the reported leaks were attributable to cyber attacks in 2023. Two leaks resulted from cyber attacks in 2022; five in 2021; and four in 2020.

Lim says intelligence authorities believe North Korean hackers to be behind the cyber attacks targeting the South Korean defense industry.

“While cyber attacks against our defense industry have shown a worrying rise this year, cyber security workforce is surprisingly lacking even at the largest defense companies in the country,” the lawmaker told The Korea Herald.

He pointed out that under the government guidance, cyber security employment standards are recommended, not enforced.

“To help companies improve their cyber security posture, the government should not only require these standards but also institutionalize support for companies in building their own protection systems,” he said.

Lim said unlike defense companies, which are surveyed by the government regularly, their contractors were left in the blind spots.

DAPA data from the past three years showed some defense industry leaks could not be traced to their sources.

“Contractors still have access to sensitive data. Leaving them out of government monitoring could leave loopholes for North Korean hackers to exploit,” the lawmaker said.

By Kim Arin(arin@heraldcorp.com)