240,000 Cases of Impersonation Bait Texts This Year... "Do Not Click the Link"

Malicious Apps Sent to Numbers in Contacts
Be Careful as It Can Affect Acquaintances

The National Police Agency, Ministry of Science and ICT, and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) urged special caution on the 15th, warning that even if individuals do not suffer financial damage by clicking on links in bait messages, their messenger accounts can be hijacked, causing harm to their acquaintances as well.

According to KISA, from January to September this year, out of a total of 1.09 million bait messages, approximately 240,000 were impersonation messages from acquaintances such as wedding invitations and funeral notices, and the actual amount distributed, which has not been detected, is estimated to be even higher.

The primary victims receive bait messages disguised as funeral notices or traffic fines sent from unknown numbers and click on the links included in the messages to check locations such as funeral halls. Clicking these links installs malicious applications (apps) that steal all personal and financial information on the phone, including contacts, call logs, and photo albums. This stolen information can be used to cause damage through small payments on the phone or account transfers via open banking.

Criminals remotely control phones infected with malicious apps to mass-distribute the same bait messages to acquaintances listed in the contact list of the infected phone number. Since these bait messages are sent from phone numbers of acquaintances rather than unknown numbers, recipients are more likely to click the links without suspicion, so extra caution is necessary.

A National Police Agency official stated, “Initially, malicious apps mainly focused on stealing information, but recently they have evolved to include remote control functions for phones.” He added, “If a phone remains in a zombie phone state, criminals can control it at any time, causing damage. Therefore, for the safety of oneself as well as family and acquaintances, it is essential to make a habit of checking the phone’s security status and following preventive measures.”