Korean cybersecurity institute staff caught playing StarCraft while bosses away

What happened: Five employees at South Korea's National Security Research Institute accessed StarCraft's Battle.net service in 2024 while supervisors were on vacation or business trips, a lawmaker said. Key numbers: Access occurred between September and December 2024. One employee logged a maximum of 8 hours 53 minutes in a single day and over 90 hours total. Why it matters: Rep. Hwang Jung-a called it a serious discipline lapse for cybersecurity staff and said whistleblower protections were inadequate. All five received reprimands and paid leave deductions.

Five employees at South Korea's National Security Research Institute accessed StarCraft's Battle.net service in 2024 while supervisors were on vacation or business trips, a lawmaker said.

Rep. Hwang Jung-a called it a serious discipline lapse for cybersecurity staff and said whistleblower protections were inadequate. All five received reprimands and paid leave deductions.