SK Telecom: "No Damages from Illegal Cloned Phones Thanks to Advanced FDS"... What Is FDS?

Real-Time Detection and Blocking of Abnormal Authentication Attempts
"Complete Protection of Customer Information on the Network"

As it was revealed that the hacking attack on SK Telecom had taken place over a period of three years and resulted in extensive damage, SKT announced on the 19th that it is fundamentally blocking cloned phone damages through the advancement of its FDS (Fraud Detection System).

The FDS, which SKT began operating in 2023, is a technology that detects and blocks various abnormal authentication attempts, including illegal cloned USIM authentication, on the network in real time.

For example, if someone attempts to authenticate on the network using an illegally cloned USIM, the system monitors and blocks the attempt in real time. SKT is applying various security logics to prevent abnormal authentications, and has elevated the FDS to its highest level of operation immediately following this security breach.

In particular, SKT is further upgrading the FDS system by adding an enhanced solution to the network that can block access by illegal cloned phones. SKT stated, "With this, we are now able to block not only illegal USIM cloning but also damages from illegal cloned phones using stolen IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers."

They added, "We have advanced the system to detect not only illegal USIMs but also any abnormal or illegal activities across all device operations. This allows us to broadly prevent damages in cases where device information such as USIM and IMEI is stolen in connection with telecom hacking incidents. It is a complete form of customer information protection at the network level."

Earlier that morning, the joint public-private investigation team looking into the SKT hacking incident announced in their second report that two servers storing IMEI and personal information had been exposed to the hacking attack.