South Korean authorities are investigating a data leak at online retailer Coupang Inc. that exposed about 33.7 million accounts in what could be the widest hack for the country of 51.7 million people.
Personal information was allegedly hacked by a Chinese national who previously worked at the company, Yonhap News reported. Police began investigating after receiving a formal complaint from Coupang that didn’t name a suspect, it said. The Ministry of Science and ICT said in a statement it formed a joint investigation team and plans to analyze the cause of the incident.
The breach at the US-listed e-commerce giant underscores rising cybersecurity risks in South Korea. SK Telecom Co., the country’s largest mobile carrier, was fined $97 million this year for failing to safeguard customer data and for delayed reporting of breaches. KT Corp. and Lotte Card Co. also disclosed leaks in recent months.
Coupang said in an emailed statement it first became aware on Nov. 18 that personal information — names, email and shipping addresses and phone numbers — in about 4,500 accounts had been exposed. It reported the incident to the authorities and a subsequent investigation revealed that about 33.7 million accounts had been exposed. Unauthorized access through overseas servers appears to have begun on June 24, Coupang said.
“Product commerce active customers” reached 24.7 million in the third quarter, growing 10% year-on-year, the company said Nov. 4.
“Coupang blocked the unauthorized access route, strengthened internal monitoring,” it said in the emailed statement. It has apologized for the incident and said will continue to cooperate with authorities.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
