Networks of South Korean banks, broadcasters hit in cyberattack

The computer networks of three major South Korean banks and three television networks went offline nearly simultaneously at 2pm Seoul time on Wednesday, according to South Korea's National Police Agency. The government confirmed that malware was used to bring the networks down, and it is looking into whether North Korea is behind the attack.

While no definitive link has been made to North Korea, the government has said it's not ruling out the possibility. The South Korean military has raised its information surveillance levels in the wake of the attack, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency's Kim Eun-jung. North Korea has been blamed for a number of previous cyberattacks against South Korean government and business networks.

A spokesperson for South Korea's public broadcasting company KBS told Yonhap News Service that its network had been "paralyzed since 2pm, and we cannot do any business." At cable broadcaster YTN, editing equipment was also affected, impacting its broadcasts. The attack on financial institutions Shinhan Bank, Jeju, and Nonghyup affected Internet and mobile banking applications while taking ATM machines offline.