During Vacation Season, Thieves Target These Places at This Time, Whether Local or Abroad...

S-1 Crime Prevention Research Institute Analysis
Intrusion Crimes in the First Half of This Year Up 15.2% Compared to Last Year

In August this year, the first summer vacation season after the endemic phase (periodic outbreaks of infectious diseases), intrusion crimes are expected to mostly involve 'livelihood crimes' targeting small amounts of cash in empty stores during early morning hours.

On the 26th, S-1 announced trends in summer vacation season crimes, including this information, after analyzing big data on intrusion crimes over the past three years. First, the S-1 Crime Prevention Research Institute analyzed that intrusion crimes decreased by an average of 25.8% annually during the past three years due to COVID-19, but increased by 15.2% in the first half of this year compared to the previous year after the transition to endemic. Based on this, intrusion crimes are expected to increase again during this summer vacation season.

Intrusion Crimes Occur at Dawn During Vacation Season

Between the second week of July and the third week of August, which is the summer vacation season, the period with the highest number of intrusion crimes was the first and second weeks of August, accounting for 42.5% of cases. Regarding the time of day, from midnight to 6 a.m. accounted for 65.8%, the highest proportion, with the most crimes occurring between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Morning hours (6 a.m. to 12 p.m., 13.5%) and afternoon hours (12 p.m. to 6 p.m., 7.2%) followed. An S-1 official explained, "The reason intrusion crimes concentrate during dawn hours is that for houses, it is easy to confirm vacancy through mail, lighting, and vehicle parking status, and for stores, criminals target times when there are few people around."

Analyzing intrusion locations, general stores such as marts, convenience stores, and clothing stores accounted for the highest proportion at 44.2%, followed by restaurants (26.1%) and offices (7.2%). 78.5% of intrusion crimes targeted cash. In particular, 88.2% of crimes targeting cash involved small amounts under 1 million KRW. Looking at the age groups of offenders, those in their 20s accounted for the highest proportion at 31.6%, followed by those in their 30s (19.3%), 40s (19.3%), 50s (19.3%), teens (7.0%), and 60s (3.5%). An S-1 official urged, "Since livelihood crimes targeting small amounts of cash appear to be increasing among people facing economic difficulties, thorough precautions such as storing cash in safes and installing double locking devices are necessary."

Cyber Attack Attempts Increase by 20.5%

Unlike last year, when only intrusion crime trends were analyzed, S-1 also analyzed information security crime trends this year due to the recent increase in personal information leakage incidents. The S-1 Information Security Control Center analyzed that cyber attack attempts increased by 20.5% in the first half of this year compared to the second half of last year. According to S-1's information security intrusion data analysis, cyber attack attempts targeting companies accounted for an overwhelming 94.9%, followed by factories (3.6%), educational facilities (1.0%), and hospitals (0.3%).

Hackers frequently used 'web vulnerability'-based attacks that exploit weaknesses in websites. This method involves maliciously accessing web servers to steal corporate information assets. Since personal information leakage can cause significant damage, special caution is required. An S-1 official said, "When security personnel are absent for extended periods due to vacations, the recognition of incidents may be delayed, increasing damage," adding, "Damage can be prevented through security control services, real-time intrusion monitoring, and strengthening web firewalls."

Information security crimes targeting summer vacation travelers should also be watched for. Phishing and smishing tactics that embed malicious code in emails or texts with titles containing keywords such as 'travel packages,' 'super special discounts,' and 'free benefits' are expected to be rampant. Clicking on attachments carelessly in the excitement of preparing for vacation can lead to leakage of important information assets and cause significant damage.

An S-1 official advised, "Before going on vacation, it is necessary to prepare not only against intrusion crimes such as cash theft but also to protect information assets through integrated PC security solutions such as antivirus, anti-ransomware, and backups."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.