SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile network provider, has suffered a major data breach that may have exposed personal and financial information of around 23 million users. A malware attack caused the breach, which SK Telecom discovered on April 18.
Many customers have since rushed to SK Telecom stores to replace their USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) cards. The company is offering these replacements at no cost to help prevent further issues.
For the first time since the breach became public, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won addressed the situation. He apologized to customers for the worry and inconvenience, and said the company would launch a full review of its data security systems with help from independent experts.
Chey admitted that the company had treated the issue as just an IT problem. “What I’ve learned is that this isn’t just about cybersecurity—it should be seen as a matter of national security,” he said.
SK Telecom is also encouraging customers to enroll in its USIM Protection Service. It claims offers the same level of protection as replacing the card. Chey said he personally signed up for the service, although he hasn’t changed his USIM card yet.
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