Authorities have launched an investigation after unauthorized gift card payments occurred on Giftishow, the mobile gifting service operated by KT Alpha. The incident is said to have occurred on the 14th.
According to the industry on the 25th, KT Alpha issued full, proactive refunds for the payments in question as a top-priority measure to protect customers. According to Yonhap News, the incident is presumed not to be an insider hack like the Coupang personal data leak but to have involved the theft of authentication information such as IDs and passwords from outside, leading to completed payments.
KT Alpha said it implemented emergency security measures, including blocking fraudulent logins and strengthening security monitoring. To prevent a recurrence, it will tighten payment authentication procedures, upgrade its abnormal transaction detection system, and expand security guidance for customers.
The company said it became aware of the incident after receiving reports from members who suffered unauthorized payments and reported it on the 15th to the police, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), and the Personal Information Protection Commission. However, as related agencies are still investigating, it did not disclose specific facts such as the scale of damage and the method of the crime.