South Korea confirms scale of Coupang data breach
Probe cites management failure at Coupang in Seoul.
The South Korean government has confirmed that 33.67 million user accounts were exposed in a major data breach at Coupang in South Korea. The findings were released by the Ministry of Science and ICT in Seoul.
Investigators in South Korea said names and email addresses were leaked, while delivery lists containing addresses and phone numbers were accessed 148 million times. Officials warned that the impact in South Korea could extend beyond the headline account figure.
Authorities in South Korea identified a former employee as the attacker, alleging misuse of authentication signing keys. The probe concluded that weaknesses in internal controls at Coupang enabled the breach in South Korea.
The ministry in South Korea criticised delayed reporting and plans to impose a fine on Coupang. The company disputed aspects of the findings but said 33.7 million accounts were involved in South Korea.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!