SK shieldus says automated cybersecurity threats on the rise

SK shieldus' cybersecurity operations center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi [SK SHIELDUS]

SK shieldus, SK Square's security subsidiary, says hacks are becoming more frequent due to the automation of attacks and that this could be good for its business.

"As an increasing number of automated hacking tools are being shared these days, the online security threat is getting bigger," said Kim Tae-hyeong, head of the company's ethical hacking team.

The comments were made Thursday at the Secudium, the company's operations center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, just weeks before SK shieldus goes public.

At the center, the company monitors an estimated 8 billion events a day, and about 50,000 of them are categorized as possible security threats. SK shieldus provides its cybersecurity service around the clock for about 2,200 corporate clients, the company said.

"As cyberattacks on IoT and cloud devices are getting more frequent, demand for security monitoring services is on the rise," said Kim Jong-hyun, Secudium Center manager. Cybersecurity gained more importance over the past two years as remote working became the norm after the Covid-19 outbreak.

The monitoring program detects threats globally, said Kim, adding that the center "recently moved up the security threat level from normal to caution due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict."

SK shieldus operates a white-hat hacker team with 100 experts. White-hat hackers, also known as ethical hackers, test computers and networks for vulnerabilities to assist clients in identifying and fixing these vulnerabilities.

The company says its team is the largest in Korea.

SK shieldus, 63.13 percent owned by SK Square, is a new name for SK infosec after it merged with ADT Caps in March 2021. SK shieldus posted annual sales of 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion) last year, up 16.8 percent year on year.

The company plans to go public on the Korea Exchange by mid-May, and a two-day public subscription period will begin on May 9. It is being marketed at 31,000 won to 38,000 won a share for a maximum market capitalization of 3.5 trillion won.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]