The Personal Information Protection Commission said on the 10th that it has launched an investigation into alleged personal data leaks at KT and LG Uplus.
Recently, a series of unauthorized micro-payments targeting KT users has occurred, raising suspicions of personal data leaks, and hacking indications regarding KT and LG Uplus were disclosed through the U.S. security magazine Phrack. Phrack carried a report saying that a hacking group, suspected to be backed by North Korea or China, hacked government agencies and private corporations such as domestic telecom companies.
Since the end of last month, KT subscribers in the capital region have filed successive reports that micro-payments via mobile phones, such as purchasing mobile gift certificates, were made without their knowledge. The damage per person is in the tens of thousands of won, and the total reported amount has exceeded 80 million won.
The Personal Information Protection Commission said, "We recognized the facts and have been verifying them by requesting materials and holding interviews with related corporations and sharing information with relevant agencies." It added, "Although no separate personal data leak report has been received from the corporations, we launched an investigation following the receipt of a civil society group's request for an inquiry and personal data breach reports from micro-payment victims."
It added that it will focus on verifying "the specific course of events and whether personal data was leaked."