Govt. to check cybersecurity vulnerabilities of local defense firms

South Korea's state arms procurement agency plans to check potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities of all local defense firms starting in May, its officials said Friday, in the wake of continued hacking incidents targeting them.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will conduct the security assessment on 85 companies from May through the end of this year with a budget of 2.64 billion won ($2.18 million), the officials said.

The DAPA plans to open a bid on Monday to select a company to carry out the assessment.

Under the assessment, the DAPA plans to test defense firms' internet servers and security and communication equipment as part of efforts to help improve their weaknesses and minimize damage from potential cyberattacks.

South Korea's defense firms have faced growing cybersecurity threats as they have gained global recognition for their cutting-edge technologies, a reason why DAPA has planned the sweeping security assessment, officials said.

Last year, DAPA carried out a cyber assessment on 10 local defense firms under a pilot program. (Yonhap)