(123rf)

Amid a recent surge in spam messages, hacking has emerged as the leading cause of personal information leaks. Notably, data revealed Friday that information leaks resulting from public organization hacks have significantly increased.

According to data released by Rep. Park Chung-kwon from the People Power Party, obtained from the Korea Internet & Security Agency, information leaks through hacking stood at 151 cases, accounting for nearly half of the total 318 cases last year. Work mishaps followed, with 116 cases.

By organization, leaks via hacking in private organizations stood at 136 cases, while public organizations accounted for 15 cases. Leaks through hacking in private organizations surged from 38 cases in 2019 to 151 in 2020, then declined to 50 and 47 cases in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Cases soared again to 136 last year.

As for public organizations, leaks via hacking remained few, with two cases in 2019, three in 2020, five in 2021 and four in 2022. However, cases rose to 15 last year. Rep. Park proposed a bill to revise the Electronic Government Act, mandating public organizations to report to the National Intelligence Service when they have been hit by a cyberattack.