South Korea’s biggest online retailer, Coupang Inc, yesterday apologized over the breach of personal information from 33.7 million customer accounts through unauthorized data access.
“We sincerely apologize once again for causing our customers inconvenience,” Coupang chief executive office Park Dae-jun said in a statement posted on the company’s Web site. “We are also reviewing potential improvements to our existing data-security systems and safeguards to better protect customer data.”
The incident is the latest in a series of data leaks at major South Korean firms, including SK Telecom Co, KT Corp and Lotte Card Co.
Photo: Reuters
The government, which yesterday held an emergency meeting, is looking into whether Coupang contravened safety rules regarding personal information protection, South Korean Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon said.
Coupang, dubbed the Amazon.com Inc of South Korea, on Saturday said that it learned of the data breach on Nov. 18 and reported it to authorities, adding that it was working with law enforcement and regulatory authorities.
The company, the services of which are ubiquitous for many South Koreans using its “Rocket” fast deliveries, on Nov. 4 said that it had 24.7 million active commercial users in the third quarter, growing 10 percent year-on-year.
Yonhap news agency yesterday reported that a Chinese former employee at Coupang was suspected of being behind the breach.
Coupang sent a complaint to police this month, and police are investigating, Yonhap said, without citing sources.
The breach exposed customers’ names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, shipping addresses and certain order histories, but not payment details or login credentials, Coupang said.
The unauthorized access of personal information was believed to have started on June 24 through overseas servers, it said.
The government-run Korea Internet and Security Agency issued a public advisory for those affected by the breach, warning them about phishing scams.
Coupang on Saturday said that, based on the company’s investigation, there is no evidence that consumer data at Coupang Taiwan Co (酷澎) has been leaked.
The company would continue to investigate the incident and cooperate with cybersecurity experts, it said.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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