LG Uplus has reported suspected signs of a server breach to the Korea Internet & Security Agency, becoming the third of Korea’s top three telecom carriers — after SK Telecom and KT — to suffer a cyber intrusion in recent months
According to industry sources on Thursday, LG Uplus’ decision to report the breach comes roughly three months after KISA relayed a tipoff to the company from an ethical hacker. The whistleblower claimed that the company’s APPM server — a critical system used to manage internal user accounts — had been compromised.
The US-based cybersecurity publication Phrack, citing the white-hat hacker, reported that the breach originated with a hack of SecureKey, a third-party security contractor for LG Uplus. The attackers allegedly used stolen credentials from SecureKey to infiltrate LG Uplus’ internal network, subsequently exfiltrating data from 8,938 servers. The compromised data is said to include over 42,000 account credentials and personal information of at least 167 employees.
In August, LG Uplus conducted an internal investigation and submitted a report to the Ministry of Science and ICT, stating that it had found no concrete evidence of a breach at that time.
However, mounting scrutiny from lawmakers during a National Assembly audit reignited public concern. Some critics alleged that LG Uplus may have tampered with potential evidence by performing operating system upgrades and physically removing APPM-related servers following the initial notification from KISA.
“While our internal review has not identified definitive signs of unauthorized access, we have chosen to submit an official report in accordance with the National Assembly’s recommendations,” an LG Uplus official said. “The decision was made to proactively address public concerns and prevent any misunderstanding regarding our commitment to cybersecurity.”
The company added that it would fully cooperate with authorities in the ongoing investigation to ensure transparency and restore public trust.
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