Seoul National University (SNU) has been struck by 28 hacking incidents since 2021, and more than 1,100 pieces of personal information belonging to students, faculty and staff were exposed along the way. The SNU cyberattack figures come from data the university submitted on Sunday to Rep. Baek Seung-ah of the Democratic Party.
The breakdown shows eight attacks in 2021 and 10 in 2022, the highest annual total in the period. Activity then dropped sharply to a single incident in 2024 before rising again to five in 2025. Four more have been confirmed so far this year. Together, these yearly figures account for all 28 incidents, which means none were recorded in 2023.
Departmental systems were the most frequent target, hit in 19 of the 28 incidents. Laboratory systems came next with six, followed by research systems with two. One attack affected an institutionwide system.
2021 SNU Cyberattack Behind Nearly All Leaked Data
Across the six-year span, a total of 1,132 pieces of personal information were leaked. Almost all of them, 1,130 records, trace back to a single cyberattack in 2021. In that breach, hackers planted malicious software on SNU servers, which let them run commands remotely and steal personal details of university members, including their portal IDs.
The remaining two pieces of personal information were exposed in 2024, when attackers went after a university research institute. Their focus was on files containing researchers’ biographies and résumés.
According to the data, no personal information leaks were confirmed in any of the other hacking incidents.
Seoul National University Faces Hundreds of Attempts Every Year
Beyond the confirmed breaches, the university has dealt with a steady stream of attempted intrusions, numbering more than 500 annually in recent years. SNU logged 561 hacking attempts in 2024 and 575 in 2025. Another 588 have been detected so far this year, already exceeding the totals of both previous years.
Explaining the numbers, the university said, “These figures represent hacking attempts detected and blocked through our security monitoring.” It added, “We prevented the incidents from spreading through real-time responses and immediately completed the necessary security measures.”
How SNU Handled Reporting After Hacking Incidents
On the question of reporting, SNU said it notified either the Ministry of Education or the Personal Information Protection Commission whenever a personal information leak was confirmed. However, the university has never requested an investigation by law enforcement authorities into any of the attacks.
The disclosure offers a clearer picture of the digital threats confronting a major South Korean university. While the number of successful breaches has fallen since its 2022 peak, the yearly count of attempted attacks has continued to climb.
That trend suggests the pressure on Seoul National University’s networks remains significant, and the SNU cyberattack record is likely to keep questions about how the institution safeguards its community’s data in focus.
