Today (2nd), 'Curious Story Y' explores the SK Telecom SIM card hacking incident.
On the morning of April 18th to 19th, Min-cheol (pseudonym) said he woke up to the sound of his mobile phone notification. A notification that his portal site account password had been changed. As he checked his mobile phone with a puzzled feeling, Min-cheol gradually felt the seriousness of the situation. The virtual currency worth 37 million won that he had saved up bit by bit from his salary had completely disappeared.
However, a few days later, Min-cheol was left with no choice but to feel fury upon seeing the notice from the mobile phone carrier he used. On the 22nd, SK Telecom announced that information related to the SIM card had been leaked due to a hacker's attack. Could Min-cheol be a victim of this hacking incident? Although SK Telecom announced that there have been no confirmed secondary damages so far, people began to emerge, claiming that they also felt like victims of this incident.
"Suddenly, the mobile phone became unresponsive.
Even pulling out the SIM card and cleaning it, then reinserting it doesn't work..."
- Among online community posts
People of various regions, ages, and genders reported that their mobile phones became unresponsive or that they were bombarded with advertisement messages that usually did not arrive. The fear of hacking grew stronger, and eventually, the stores across the country were crowded with people looking for 'SIM cards.' Where does the people's anxiety and anger stem from? The 'SIM card' is a key element of a mobile phone that stores vital information such as subscriber information and authentication keys. However, due to the hacking attack, some information related to SK Telecom subscribers' SIM cards was leaked. It was said to be the worst incident in telecommunications history, with a total volume of 9.7 GB, equivalent to 9,000 pages of data from 300 books. On the 25th, SK Telecom ultimately issued a public apology. They stated that they could prevent hacking damage through SIM protection services and would provide 100% compensation in case of any damage. However, some still expressed concerns about the possibility of secondary damage.
"This is also being sold on the dark web right now.
I think we can't possibly predict secondary damage."
- Interview with victims of KS Korea Employment Information hacking
On the 19th, KS Korea Employment Information also had over 36,000 personal data leaked due to hackers. Experts emphasized that the combination of SIM information and personal information could lead to criminal misuse. The production team checked the seriousness of the situation by accessing the 'dark web' with security experts. There, they could confirm the scene where personal information such as resident registration numbers and card CVC numbers were being secretly traded. Now that the SIM information hacking incident has occurred, what methods are available to prevent secondary damage?
This week, SBS 'Curious Story Y' will be broadcast on Friday, May 2nd at 8:55 p.m.
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