There were 239,145 hacking attempts targeting the court network from January through August this year. That is about 2.4 times the 101,205 attempts recorded during the same period last year. The figures became known after the National Court Administration (법원행정처) submitted the data to Kim Dong-ha, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (더불어민주당), and it was released on Sunday.

The cumulative total for January to August this year also exceeds the 141,528 attempts recorded over the entirety of last year. However, this figure counts hacking “attempts.” An increase in the number of attempts alone does not show that an attack succeeded or that information was leaked.

Background and context

March had the most attempts in the first eight months of this year, with 48,263. This was followed by 39,915 in May and 34,083 in June. The publicly released information does not specify what types of attempts are included in the monthly figures.

The annual totals were 142,514 in 2021, 126,212 in 2022, 114,070 in 2023, and 98,171 in 2024. The figures declined each year during this period, but last year's full-year total was 141,528, higher than the 2024 figure. Separately, this year's figure for January to August shows a substantial increase from the same period last year.

What this news means

The change confirmed by these figures is that attempts targeting the court network increased significantly from the same period a year earlier. This is a notable figure when considering the scale of attempted attacks, but the number of attempts should be distinguished from measures such as the scale of actual harm or the effectiveness of security responses. The publicly released data did not include figures on successful attacks or resulting harm.

It is therefore important for readers not to conclude from the number alone that personal information or court-related information was leaked. Conversely, the increase in attempts should not be taken to mean that no actual breach occurred. For example, if you hear that information related to the courts was exposed, these figures alone cannot establish that the information was connected to a hacking attempt; separate verification is needed.

What is confirmed and what remains unknown

Confirmed facts

  • There were 239,145 hacking attempts targeting the court network from January to August this year.
  • The figure for the same period last year was 101,205, making this year's total about 2.4 times higher.
  • Last year's full-year total was 141,528.
  • March had the most attempts from January to August this year, with 48,263; May and June had 39,915 and 34,083, respectively.
  • The National Court Administration submitted the data to lawmaker Kim Dong-ha, and it was released on Sunday.

What remains unknown

  • The publicly released information does not identify the types of attempts or who was behind them.
  • It is not known whether any of the attempts led to an actual breach or information leak.
  • The figures alone cannot explain the causes of monthly increases or decreases or the scale of any harm.

What readers should check

  • Check whether reports distinguish the number of hacking “attempts” from whether an actual breach or information leak occurred.
  • If additional data is released, check whether it identifies the types of attempts and the attackers, and whether it separately describes any actual harm.
  • When comparing figures by year, check the period covered: this year's figure is cumulative for January to August, while figures for other years may cover the full year.

References