South Korea raises cyber threat level after data center fire
What's the story
South Korea's intelligence agency has raised the national cyber threat level, amid fears that hackers could exploit vulnerabilities in the wake of a major fire at a government data center. The National Cyber Security Center, under the National Intelligence Service (NIS), raised its alert from "attention" to "caution" on Monday. The decision comes as recovery work continues following the incident that disrupted critical digital infrastructure across South Korea.
Incident details
Fire breaks out at National Information Resources Service
The fire broke out at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon, a tech hub located 140km south of Seoul. The facility is one of three operational government data centers managing critical digital infrastructure across South Korea. The blaze started when workers were moving lithium-ion batteries from a fifth-floor server room to the basement for replacement. One battery ignited, leading to the fire spreading to other batteries and adjacent servers in the process.
Impact assessment
Over 600 government systems shut down to prevent further damage
The fire incident has had a major impact on government operations, with officials shutting down 647 systems to prevent further damage. This has led to the disruption of government email and intranet services, mobile identification services, postal banking, complaint portals, and major government websites. Schools were unable to access student records while tax payment deadlines were missed due to offline systems.
Recovery process
Some systems restored, but full recovery will take weeks
As of Tuesday afternoon, 89 of the 647 affected systems have been restored. These include the main government portal, postal services, and identity verification systems. However, officials estimate that 96 of these systems were completely destroyed in the fire incident. Transferring them to a backup facility in Daegu will take about four weeks, meaning disruption could continue through Chuseok, a weeklong national holiday starting early October.
Presidential response
President calls for significant improvement in security
In light of the incident, President Lee Jae Myung has called for a "significant improvement" in the security of government administrative systems. He expressed concerns over disruptions to shipping, postal and financial services ahead of the Chuseok holidays. The president also stressed on the need to establish a "dual system" for data security during emergencies.