SEOUL: The defense ministry's website experienced service disruptions this week after being targeted by a cyberattack, according to officials on Wednesday. This incident follows a warning from South Korea's cybersecurity watchdog regarding potential hacking attacks from North Korea. According to Yonhap News Agency, the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, prompting the military to initiate response measures. A ministry official confirmed that the website is now back online. The Joint Chiefs of Staff's website also showed signs of connection instability as of Wednesday morning, which led the Cyber Operations Command to investigate the matter. A DDoS attack involves using a large number of infected devices to flood a target server or website with excessive traffic. A military official reported that authorities have blocked the IP addresses associated with the source of the attack, noting that such incidents targeting the defense ministry's website are rare. Author ities are currently investigating the identity of those responsible for the attack. Prior to this incident, South Korea's cybersecurity watchdog had urged local organizations and businesses to enhance their data protection efforts, citing increased risks of hacking attacks linked to North Korea's military collaboration with Russia.