The National Intelligence Service(NIS) warned of a possible increase in hacking attempts related to the country’s diplomatic and security affairs in the run-up to next year’s presidential election.

In its outlook report on cyberthreats issued Wednesday, the spy agency said the rivalry of dominance between Western powers and countries such as China, Russia and Iran is becoming more prevalent in cyberspace.

The NIS believes that because of this, if South Korea is asked for a joint response from either side in the future, it could become a victim of hacking attacks from the opposing camp.

Additionally, the agency expressed concern over fake news and publicly sensitive information causing chaos ahead of the March presidential election and provincial elections in June.

The NIS also projects an uptick in attacks related to post-pandemic era new technologies such as autonomous driving, hyper-connection and home networking as hackers eye security loopholes in the early days of introduction.