ILLUSTRATION - A person sits in front of a computer screen. South Korea’s spy agency says North Korea's AI-assisted cyberattacks could generate tens of thousands of malicious actions per second. SASCHA STEINBACH / EPA
June 10 (Asia Today) -- Artificial intelligence is reshaping the cybersecurity battlefield, South Korea's spy agency warned, saying North Korean hacking groups are moving toward autonomous attacks that can identify vulnerabilities, break into systems and monetize stolen data with limited human involvement.
The National Cyber Security Center, operated under the National Intelligence Service, issued the warning in its 2026 National Information Security White Paper, released Sunday.
The agency said the rapid development of AI has sharply increased the capabilities of attackers, while the spread of cloud infrastructure and the neglect of aging systems have exposed structural weaknesses in South Korea's cyber defenses.
The agency focused in particular on the rise of agentic AI, a form of autonomous artificial intelligence that can set goals, analyze data and manipulate external systems without constant human direction.
