Seoul, South Korea – May 5, 2024 – SK Telecom (SKT), South Korea’s leading mobile carrier, announced today that it has temporarily suspended new subscription services following a significant data breach that compromised user SIM card (USIM) information. The breach has already led to one million customers replacing their SIM cards.
According to a statement released by SKT, the company’s servers were hacked, resulting in the exposure of sensitive USIM data. As of today, a staggering one million users have requested and received new SIM cards to mitigate potential risks. The total number of customers who have applied for a replacement SIM card has reached 7.7 million, highlighting the widespread concern among SKT subscribers.
We are working diligently to prepare and distribute new USIM cards to all affected customers as quickly as possible, stated Kim Hee-seop, head of SKT’s PR Center, during a press conference held earlier today.
The company also reported a surge in subscriptions to its USIM protection service, with 22.18 million users signing up as of 9:00 AM today. This service aims to provide enhanced security measures to protect users from potential fraud and identity theft.
In response to the breach, SKT has implemented a temporary suspension of new subscriber registrations at both its physical stores and online platforms, effective immediately. This measure is intended to allow the company to focus on addressing the security vulnerabilities and ensuring the safety of existing customers’ data.
While the data breach occurred on April 19th, SKT has stated that, as of today, neither the company nor investigating authorities have received any reports of financial losses stemming from illegal USIM card cloning or compromised bank account information. This suggests that the immediate risk of financial harm to customers may be limited, but the potential for future exploitation remains a concern.
The incident underscores the growing threat of cyberattacks targeting telecommunications companies and the importance of robust data security measures to protect user information. SKT is currently working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the breach and implement measures to prevent future incidents.
The suspension of new subscriptions is expected to remain in effect until SKT can assure the public that its systems are secure and that customer data is adequately protected. The company has not yet announced a specific timeline for the resumption of new subscriber services.
References:
- Yonhap News Agency. (2024, May 5). SK텔레콤 백만 사용자 이미 휴대폰 카드 교체, 오늘부터 가입 중단 [SK Telecom one million users have already replaced their mobile phone cards, new subscriptions suspended from today]. Retrieved from [Insert original article URL here – if available online]
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