Following the SK Telecom USIM (subscriber identification module) hacking incident, the National Intelligence Service has reportedly advised all government ministries and public and subsidiary agencies to replace SKT's USIM.
According to a government official on the 29th, the National Intelligence Service sent a public notice to all ministries, stating, "Regarding the recent USIM information leak incident, please implement the following safety measures for business devices using SKT's USIM."
The public notice included instructions to replace the USIMs for LTE (4G) and 5G routers (modems) used for wireless communication network-based video signal transmission, traffic signal control, remote measurement and inspection, as well as for mobile devices such as business mobile phones, tablets, and 4G and 5G egg devices.
The National Intelligence Service also instructed that until the USIM replacement is complete, devices must subscribe to the 'USIM Protection Service' add-on service, and for corporate registered devices, a comprehensive response plan should be devised. The agency also requested that the relevant details be shared with affiliated and subsidiary organizations for reference and action.
It has been reported that SK Telecom was hacked on the 18th, and information related to the replication of four types of USIMs, including phone numbers, was leaked. Additionally, 21 types of management information necessary for processing USIM data also leaked to the outside. SKT is the number one telecommunications company in terms of subscribers among the three major telecom operators, and it is known that the government's non-communication phones also use SKT lines.