KT has come under fire for failing to properly manage femtocells—ultra-small base stations—that recently caused a string of unauthorized micro-payment incidents.
On the 24th, lawmaker Lee Hae-min of the Rebuilding Korea Party said, "KT effectively left femtocells unattended by not preparing separate management guidelines and relying only on contacting customers," and criticized, "As a result, a major security disaster like this micro-payment incident occurred."
According to Lee's office, KT distributed more than 200,000 femtocells, the most among the three mobile carriers, but lacked basic management systems such as automatic blocking of unused equipment and deletion of device identifiers when the location changes drastically. Other carriers automatically detect anomalies and block the device if femtocells remain unused for a prolonged period or move beyond a certain distance, and delete the equipment's unique identifier after a set period.
Lee's office said KT is proceeding with the retrieval of femtocells while relying only on contacting customers. It also noted that when customers cannot be reached, KT took no follow-up measures at all. It said abandoned femtocells were highly likely to have been misused as illegal equipment by hackers.
Lee said, "It is questionable whether KT has the basic qualifications as a key telecommunications operator," and added, "It is doubtful whether KT is fit to carry out major national communications infrastructure projects, including the transfer of the presidential office and the crisis management center."
Lee added, "Because KT's poor network management can lead to a national threat, a thorough investigation and verification are needed, and fundamental remedies, including a personnel overhaul, must follow."