14 DAY TRIAL // South Korean police have arrested a couple of individuals suspected of hacking into the systems of KT Corp, one of the country’s largest telecom companies.
According to CNN, a man named Kim is said to have hacked into KT Corp’s systems, stealing the personal details of 12 million customers. The stolen data included bank details, addresses and employment information.
The data was later sold to a man named Park, the owner of a telemarketing company. Park posed as a KT Corp representative and used the stolen information to sell mobile phones.
Since February 2013, when the scheme started, the two made 11.5 billion won ($10.8 million / €7.85 million). There’s a third suspect in this case, but he has been released.
KT is investigating the incident. The company is trying to determine who else might have obtained the leaked information.
In late February, South Korean authorities arrested three men suspected of hacking into 225 websites and stealing the personal details of 17 million people. They’re said to have sold the data for 100 million won ($93,000 / €68,657).
Another major data breach affected the customers of major South Korean credit card companies. A temporary employee of the Korea Credit Bureau managed to steal over 100 million payment card records, 20 million of which he sold to marketing companies.