"Damage Can Be Prevented Simply by Subscribing to the Service"
SK Group has notified its executives to subscribe to the USIM Protection Service instead of replacing their mobile phone USIM cards in response to the hacking incident involving SK Telecom. The company is encouraging the use of this service, emphasizing that simply subscribing to the USIM Protection Service can prevent various damages, including blocking illegal cloned phones.
According to industry sources on April 30, SK has informed executives of SK Group and its affiliates that subscribing to the USIM Protection Service completely blocks illegal duplication, and therefore, they should not replace their USIM cards but instead subscribe to the USIM Protection Service.
The USIM Protection Service was developed in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Cyber Investigation Unit in 2023. SK Telecom is recommending subscription to the service, stating, "Simply duplicating a USIM does not allow for the theft of bank or virtual asset accounts, nor the duplication of digital certificates."
An SK official explained, "The USIM Protection Service links the device and the USIM number, and if the USIM is connected to another device, the service blocks access to the network. Therefore, if you subscribe to the USIM Protection Service, incidents such as SIM swapping cannot occur."
Yoo Youngsang, CEO of SK Telecom, appeared at the National Assembly on this day and, in response to a question from Choi Minhee, Chairperson of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, about whether he had replaced his USIM card after the hacking incident, answered, "I did not change my USIM card and subscribed to the USIM Protection Service. I believe that is sufficient." He added, "SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and SK SUPEX Council Chairman Chey Chang-won also did not replace their USIM cards."
According to the first phase analysis results announced by the government the previous day, information such as subscriber phone numbers and subscriber identification keys (IMSI)?a total of four types that could be used for USIM duplication?and 21 types of SK Telecom’s internal management information required for processing USIM data were leaked. However, there was no leakage of device unique identification numbers (IMEI).
Yoo Sangim, Minister of Science and ICT, also stated at the National Assembly the previous day, "It is clear that there is no possibility of illegal mobile phone duplication," and added, "We are monitoring to prevent access through the protection system."
Currently, the number of SK Telecom customers who have already subscribed to or applied for the USIM Protection Service has exceeded 10 million.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
