The photo shows a user accessing connected-car services through Samsung SmartThings. Hyundai Motor and Kia announced on Sept. 25 that they will launch “Home-to-Car”, a service that links their connected-car features with Samsung Electronics’ global smart home platform, Samsung SmartThings. (Provided by Hyundai Motor and Kia)
SEOUL, Nov. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Motor Group is moving to strengthen its defenses against mounting cyber threats, establishing a new group-wide control tower and sharply increasing investments in information security amid a wave of high-profile hacking incidents in South Korea.
According to industry officials on Tuesday, the conglomerate recently created the Group Cyber Threat Response Team, its first centralized unit dedicated to preventing and responding to hacking attempts, ransomware attacks and other digital intrusions. The team is led by Yang Ki-chang, head of Hyundai Motor’s integrated security center.
Previously, each affiliate managed cyber risks independently. The new structure is designed to allow the group to identify vulnerabilities, monitor threats in real time, and tighten internal governance—an increasingly urgent task as the automotive industry accelerates toward fully connected vehicles.
Hyundai Motor and Kia have also expanded their cybersecurity budgets at a rapid pace. Data from the Korea Internet & Security Agency shows the two companies invested 62.14 billion won this year, a 46 percent jump from 2024 and nearly triple the level in 2022. Their dedicated security workforce has also grown to 262 people, up from 185 last year.
As hacking incidents at telecom companies continue to expose customer data, concerns are mounting over potential breaches at South Korea’s three major mobile carriers. (Yonhap)
The push comes after a string of major breaches in Korea this year: SK Telecom suffered the leak of nearly all customer records in April; KT faced small-payment fraud in September via hacked micro-base stations; Lotte Card lost data on 2.97 million customers; and Yes24 was crippled by a ransomware attack.
Hyundai Motor Group itself reported a breach in March involving some employee data, though the company said customer and technical information was not affected.
The automaker’s broader concern is the fast-approaching era of connected cars, which exchange real-time data with networks, infrastructure and other vehicles. As automakers shift toward software-defined vehicles and more advanced driver-assistance systems, the risk of remote hacking, data theft and malicious code inserted during over-the-air updates is rising sharply.
Cyberattacks on vehicles “can spread beyond the car itself to clouds and networks,” one auto-industry official said, warning that compromised systems could endanger both drivers and pedestrians. “For connected cars, cybersecurity is no longer optional—it is foundational.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
