The Ministry of Science and ICT has opened a formal investigation into suspected cyberattacks on telecom giants KT Corp. and LG Uplus, amid allegations that the firms may have been targeted in hacking attempts similar to a recent breach involving SK Telecom.
On Tuesday, the ministry confirmed that on-site inspections and digital forensic analyses are underway to determine whether unauthorized access occurred within the companies’ network systems.
“We are currently analyzing the materials submitted by the firms through rigorous forensic procedures,” a ministry official said. “If any incidents are confirmed, the findings will be disclosed transparently to the public.”
The move follows claims raised by Rep. Choi Min-hee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who said an anonymous white hat hacker had provided credible evidence pointing to data breaches at both KT and LG Uplus. White hat hackers, also called ethical hackers, hack systems to test for and pinpoint vulnerabilities.
Preliminary reviews suggest that internal data from the two operators’ servers may have been exposed on external platforms, signaling potential information leaks.
In the case of LG Uplus, the compromised data reportedly includes the source code for its internal access privilege management system and sensitive information on 8,938 servers. For KT, indications of leaked digital certificates have been cited.
These allegations were first reported on Aug. 8 by Phrack, a US-based hacking journal well known for its detailed technical disclosures.
Both telecom operators said they are cooperating fully with authorities.
A KT official said, “As of now, there is no confirmed evidence of any data breach.”
An LG Uplus official offered a similar stance, saying, “As the investigation is still ongoing, we have reached no preliminary conclusions. All related inquiries are being referred to the Ministry of Science and ICT or the Korea Internet & Security Agency.”
This is not the first time the ministry has scrutinized cybersecurity readiness at major telecom firms.
In May, it conducted preliminary inspections using malware detection tools across several ICT companies, including KT and LG Uplus. At the time, “no anomalies or signs of hacking activity” were detected.
yeeun@heraldcorp.com
