Internet agency urges companies to expose cyber vulnerability

By Lee Min-hyung

The Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) has urged companies to voluntarily report their cyber vulnerability so the agency can develop more online security measures.

“We award companies which report their weak points in cyber systems, but most of them are reluctant to collaborate with us,” said Ju Young-wan, director at KISA’s Internet Incidents Response Division, in a press conference in southern Seoul, Wednesday.

The KISA executive said only a few companies here are active in collaboration with its cyber response team due to fears that the cyber vulnerability, if exposed, will tarnish their brand image.

“We are forming partnerships with Naver, the nation’s top portal operator, and Hancom, the Korean word processor operator,” he said. “More companies need to share their cyber-related problems with us to build a more secure cyber environment nationwide.”

The cyber response division of KISA was established in 2003 to monitor the nation’s cyber security in real-time. It said the organization is committed to protecting cyber infrastructure and developing protective tools against possible online attacks.

“Cyber security is not for a single organization, but for the public,” he said. “Developing more protective measures is urgent as cyber attacks cause massive damages. Toward this end, we need to find what cyber vulnerabilities each company is facing.”

The KISA executive said the organization is in charge of protecting cyber systems in the private sector for the general public, and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) deals with preventing cyber attacks in public areas such as state-run companies or government agencies.

“We are also in charge of preventing malignant code from spreading on mobile devices,” he said. “We detect possible cyber attacks targeting mobile software. We send such mobile threats to telecom operators, and they notify each user of possible attacks, helping their devices equipped with vaccine programs.”