Taking Advantage of 'Kakao Outage' for Hacking and Smishing... Government Warns "Beware of Cyber Attacks"

Emergency Block of Hacking Sites Inducing Malicious Program Installation

Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT is delivering opening remarks at a meeting related to the Kakao data center fire held on the 16th at SK C&C Pangyo Campus in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) have urged users to be cautious amid concerns over cyberattacks such as hacking emails and smishing messages exploiting the Kakao service disruption caused by the SK C&C data center fire that occurred on the 15th.

On the 17th, the Ministry of Science and ICT and KISA confirmed hacking emails disguised as KakaoTalk installation files distributed by Kakao, which induce the installation of malicious programs, and urgently blocked the related distribution sites.

According to the government, there is a high possibility of cyberattacks that steal account information such as user IDs and passwords by prompting users to log in to phishing sites via text messages (SMS) related to the disruption.

Kakao service users should fundamentally strengthen the security of their personal computers and smartphones and be cautious not to open hacking emails or click on smishing messages. If damage such as malware infection occurs, users should immediately report it to the Korea Internet & Security Agency’s BohoNara website and receive support through the NaePC Dolbomi service.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and KISA stated, "As hacking emails and smishing impersonating Kakao are expected to continue, we are swiftly detecting and blocking malicious program distribution sites," adding, "We are fully prepared for incident response by strengthening focused monitoring and other measures."