Seoul: SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile carrier, announced a hacking incident involving a partial leak of information related to customers' universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data. The company confirmed detecting signs of unauthorized access to its network on Saturday, attributed to malicious code inserted by an unidentified hacker.
According to Yonhap News Agency, SK Telecom has initiated a comprehensive investigation into the breach. Thus far, there have been no reports of misuse of the compromised data. After discovering the breach, the company took immediate action by deleting the malicious code and isolating the affected network system. Additionally, it notified the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) and the Personal Information Protection Commission about the incident.
The company has also published a notice on its website, informing customers of the breach and offering USIM protection services free of charge for those wishing to enhance their security measures. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and ICT has formed an emergency response team to investigate the incident and assess the company's response to the user data compromise. The ministry has requested SK Telecom preserve and submit all relevant records.
Authorities have stated that SK Telecom could face a corrective order if the investigation uncovers any flaws in the company's security management. "A forensic analysis is currently under way, but due to the nature of the malicious code, it could take time to determine exactly what data may have been leaked," said an SK Telecom official, emphasizing the company's full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.