Cyber intrusion attempts targeting military internet networks in the first half of this year have exceeded 9,000, marking the highest figure in the past five years.
According to data obtained by Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Defense Committee, from the Cyber Operations Command on August 17, the total number of cyber intrusion attempts in the first half of 2025 reached 9,262. Of these, website breaches accounted for the majority with 9,193 incidents, while hacking emails numbered 69. No malware infiltrations were reported.
This represents a clear upward trend compared to previous years: 6,146 in 2021, 4,943 in 2022, 6,805 in 2023, and 6,401 in 2024.
A military official stated that while they cannot precisely identify the forces behind these intrusion attempts, the correlation between the countries of origin for the internet protocol (IP) addresses and those used in the attacks suggests that North Korea is likely responsible for the majority of them. The official added that the military currently maintains a robust cyber defense posture through enhanced response systems.
Meanwhile, defense contractors have reported a steady increase in cyberattack incidents over the past four years. The number of reported cases was: 5 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 4 in 2023, and 16 in 2024.
Rep. Yoo emphasized that as warfare evolves beyond physical confrontations to include cyber warfare, the record number of cyber intrusion attempts targeting military networks in the first half of this year serves as a serious warning. He stressed the need for a whole-of-government approach to address increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, including the establishment of a presidential cybersecurity control tower and active revision of relevant legislation.