SNU hit by 28 cyberattacks in six years, with over 1,100 pieces of personal info leaked
Seoul National University (SNU) experienced eight cyberattacks in 2021, 10 in 2022, one in 2024 and five in 2025. Four more have been confirmed so far this year.
Main entrance of the Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern SeoulJOONGANG ILBO
Over 1,100 pieces of personal information belonging to Seoul National University (SNU) students, faculty and staff have been leaked in cyberattacks over the past six years, data showed.
SNU was hit by 28 hacking incidents between 2021 and this year, according to data submitted by the university to Democratic Party Rep. Baek Seung-ah on Sunday.
There were eight such attacks in 2021, 10 in 2022, one in 2024 and five in 2025. Four more have been confirmed so far this year.
The cyberattacks most frequently targeted departmental systems, accounting for 19 of the 28 incidents. Laboratory systems followed with six incidents, and research systems with two. One affected an institutionwide system.
Over the period, a total of 1,132 pieces of personal information leaked. Nearly all of them, or 1,130, were leaked in a 2021 cyberattack. At the time, hackers installed malicious software on SNU servers that allowed them to execute commands remotely and steal personal information about university members, including their portal IDs.
The remaining two pieces of personal information were leaked in a 2024 cyberattack on a university research institute. The hackers targeted files related to researchers’ biographies and résumés.
The Personal Information Protection CommissionPERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION COMMISSION
No personal information leaks have been confirmed in the other incidents.
SNU was also found to have faced more than 500 hacking attempts annually in recent years. There were 561 attempts in 2024 and 575 in 2025. Another 588 have been detected this year.
“These figures represent hacking attempts detected and blocked through our security’s monitoring,” SNU said. “We prevented the incidents from spreading through real-time responses and immediately completed the necessary security measures.”
The university said that it reported confirmed personal information leaks to the Ministry of Education or the Personal Information Protection Commission but never requested investigations by law enforcement authorities.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
