[Exclusive] Nearly 75,000 Cyberattack Attempts Targeted Defense Ministry in 5 Years... Malware Attempts Up Sixfold This Year

18,823 cyberattack attempts from January to September this year
Expected to surpass last year's total by year-end
"Policy and budget support needed for proactive management"

Nearly 75,000 cyberattack attempts targeting the Ministry of National Defense have been recorded over the past five years. This year, there have already been more than 18,800 intrusion attempts, nearly matching last year's annual total, while cases involving the use of malware (viruses) have increased sixfold. Calls are growing for proactive measures to strengthen the country's cybersecurity capabilities.

Rep. Han Kiho of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee. Provided by his office.

According to data from the Ministry of National Defense obtained by the office of Rep. Han Ki-ho of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, there were 74,907 cyberattack attempts targeting the ministry from 2022 through this year (January-September). The number continued to rise from 9,115 in 2022 to 13,599 in 2023, 14,419 in 2024 and 18,951 in 2025. This year, there have been 18,823 attack attempts. Forecasts suggest that by the end of the year, the total will surpass last year's record, the highest in recent years.

This year, the most common types of attacks were ▲attempts to breach websites (18,545) ▲malware (194) and ▲phishing emails (84). Malware cases declined for three consecutive years, from 101 in 2023 to 32 last year, but this year they have increased about sixfold from the previous year. "AI tools are becoming readily accessible," said Kwak Jin, a professor in the Department of Cybersecurity at Ajou University. "The number of attack attempts is bound to rise." Recently, there has been an increase in intrusion attempts routed through servers in the United States, as well as a rise in cases in Europe, including Germany.

Rep. Han said, "Cybersecurity is a core pillar of national defense, and its importance is growing from the perspective of strengthening our defense capabilities. We must step up policy and budgetary support to build the capacity for proactive management rather than relying on responses after the fact."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.