South Korean military computer networks have come under ever-increasing cyber attacks, with the military countering nearly 100,000 hacking attempts or virus infections a day, Yonhap news agency reported today.

The average daily number of cyber attacks against military computers rose to 93,720 cases last year, from 79,022 in 2008, 39,859 in 2007 and 29,681 in 2006, said Kim Ock Lee of the ruling Grand National Party in a report, citing data from the Defense Ministry.

Despite the growing cyber threats, the military had raised its alert status on cyber warfare readiness, called "Infocon," only two times over the past three years, Kim said in the report, raising questions over the military's readiness on cyber security.

"Though North Korea is known to operate some 600 or 700 professional hackers, the military has been negligent in coping with cyber warfare," Kim said.

Military sources say North Korea is running a cyber warfare unit aimed at hacking into South Korean and US military computer networks to steal intelligence information or disrupt service.