Free USIM Card Replacement for All Customers Starting April 28
No Cases of Misuse of Leaked Information Found Yet
SK Telecom has sent out cybersecurity incident protection guidance text messages to 5 million customers per day, and once the scale of the damage and the cause of the incident are identified, CEO Yoo Youngsang will personally hold a briefing to explain additional measures.
At the "Customer Information Protection Measures Enhancement Briefing" held on April 25, SKT CEO Yoo Youngsang stated, "I sincerely apologize for the significant inconvenience and concern caused to our valued customers and society by the cyber intrusion incident that occurred on April 18. The government investigation into the cause and scale of the incident has just begun, so as soon as the cause and scale are identified, I will hold a session to explain the additional measures."
Since the hacking incident, SKT has elevated its FDS system, which blocks authentication attempts using illegally duplicated USIMs, to the highest level for customer protection. In addition, the company is offering the "USIM Protection Service" free of charge, which prevents others from illegally duplicating your USIM information and using it on another device. Currently, 2.4 million customers are using this service. An SKT representative explained, "Combining the FDS system and the USIM Protection Service is as effective as replacing the USIM itself."
In addition, starting April 28, SKT will allow all customers to replace their USIM cards free of charge upon request. This measure is available once for mobile subscribers as of midnight on April 18. The policy was introduced considering that the data breach was first detected around 11 a.m. on April 19. USIM cards can be replaced at T World stores nationwide and airport roaming centers. If there is a surge in demand, customers can make reservations and have their USIMs replaced sequentially.
An SKT representative explained that, due to system limitations, the company was unable to send text notifications to all 23 million SKT subscribers at once. So far, messages have been sent to 1.6 million customers. SKT is also considering notifying customers of security measures through other channels, such as push notifications via the T World app, in addition to text messages.
Regarding the protection of digitally vulnerable groups, the company added, "For customers aged 70 and above who have difficulty subscribing directly, such as people with disabilities, national merit recipients, and the visually impaired, our consultants are contacting them to guide them through the subscription process and, if desired, complete the process on their behalf."
SKT stated that, after conducting several inspections following the incident, no cases of misuse have been identified so far. An SKT representative explained, "We are monitoring the situation through the FDS system from a service perspective, and have determined that there are no issues at this time."
The company further emphasized, "At this point, the specific scale of the damage, the nature of the leaked information, and the identities of the victims have not yet been determined. We will establish measures to prevent recurrence based on the findings of the joint public-private investigation team."
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