Corporate security strategies are shifting as cyberattacks powered by artificial intelligence spread. Companies are moving beyond reliance on existing security systems and competing to recruit "white-hat hackers" who probe systems for weaknesses the way real attackers would. Hiring is picking up across the financial and IT sectors, pushing up pay for specialists.
Financial firms, game studios, security companies and public agencies are hiring specialists with skills in penetration testing and vulnerability analysis, according to information technology industry sources on the 25th. Rather than simply building security systems and blocking outside intrusions, companies are strengthening their defenses by simulating actual attacks to identify weaknesses in advance. The scope of security checks is widening as AI is used in cyberattacks while AI services themselves become new targets. That has raised interest in staff who can act as a "red team," penetrating systems like real hackers to find gaps.
The financial industry, which handles sensitive personal and financial data, is a prime example. Woori Bank (000030.KS) is recruiting security specialists to serve as a cyber red team. Their main duties include penetration testing of financial services such as internet banking, checking vulnerabilities in AI models and agents, and automating security checks using AI.
Employers are also placing greater weight on penetration testing experience and the ability to analyze attack techniques. SK Shieldus is seeking AI security researchers and gives preference to candidates with AI red team and penetration testing experience. Tving, an over-the-top streaming service, is hiring an information security engineer to run its bug bounty program, which rewards those who find security vulnerabilities.
Hyundai AutoEver (307950.KS) is also recruiting staff to conduct penetration testing based on simulated attacks by real hackers and to research the latest attack techniques. In the public sector, the National Intelligence Service is hiring specialists to assess the safety of AI systems and carry out penetration testing.
Some employers are singling out skills in PHP, the programming language recently at the center of a security vulnerability controversy. CJ OliveNetworks listed development experience in programming languages including PHP, along with source code analysis skills, as preferred qualifications for penetration testing specialists.
Amid a string of hacking incidents and personal data breaches, security staff are accounting for a larger share of corporate workforces. Security personnel as a share of IT staff at companies filing information protection disclosures rose to 6.8% this year from 6.67% last year and 6.19% in 2024, according to data from the Korea Internet & Security Agency.
Experts say the spread of AI is changing corporate demand for security personnel. As new AI-driven attacks exploit weaknesses in existing security frameworks, the ability to find and address those gaps in advance is becoming more important, they said. Demand for senior talent combining technical expertise with hands-on experience is expected to grow as attack methods become more sophisticated. "The penetration testing market is expanding as we see new attacks and intrusion cases using AI," said Kwon Hun-young, a professor at Korea University's Graduate School of Information Security. "Going forward, what will matter is hybrid talent that understands not only security technology but also a company's operations and how it uses data."
As competition for white-hat hackers intensifies, pay for these specialists is rising. "For white-hat hackers, results are tallied clearly — one vulnerability found, then two — and in some cases they are paid more," said Kim Tae-sung, a professor of information security management at Chungbuk National University. "Since top talent is flowing into the white-hat hacking field, we also need to steadily train people who develop and defend secure systems, not just those with attack skills."