Recently, prosecutors stepped up their related investigation into the heir of the giant Samsung group, Lee Jae-yong, on suspicion of involvement in quid-pro-quo dealings between Samsung and Choi-linked organizations.
According to a prosecution team official cited by the Korea Times, unknown hackers tried to conduct an attack through one of the prosecutors' email accounts on Korea's largest internet portal, Naver, but the attack was blocked before it caused any damage or leaked data
"It seems the hacker tried to extract information from the team's intranet by gaining access to the prosecutor's account and installing a malicious code in the laptop," the official said, adding that the attack originated overseas and that it probably aimed at disrupting the probe into the corruption scandal.
The team, led by special prosecutor Park Young-soo, has been maintaining cyber security by using its own intranet and barring internet connection via desktop computers. Those were only used for making records of statements and reports on investigations or sharing data with team members via a special messenger program.
After the hack attempt incident, additional measures were taken to boost security, such as activating anti-wiretap devices and strengthening security walls on each computer.
Security personnel guards the team's office building in Daechi-dong, Seoul, around the elevator on ground level and at the main gate 24/7. A fingerprint recognition system keeps the emergency staircases shut.
