South Korea-based media outlets have alleged that Korea Telecom targeted some of its customers with malware due to the excessive use of peer-to-peer downloading tools.
The company has established a new division to develop, maintain, and distribute malware, which is claimed to have begun operations in May 2020.
They believe the number of infected users of the ‘Web Hard Drive’ at one point reached 600,000.
The malware was reportedly inserted into the Grid program, which is a code that enables KT users to exchange data. Peer-to-peer method,
File exchange services were reported to have stopped working, leading users to complain about the issue on online bulletin boards. Other reported problems include the creation of unknown folders, hidden downloaded files, and some PCs not working at all.
The issue is believed to have lasted for around five months.
Malware is any software that is intentionally designed to cause disruption to a computer or server. It is commonly known as viruses, worms, spyware, ransomware, adware, and Trojan viruses.
A representative of the Grid program told the media that only people using KT’s internet lines were affected. teknadu said,
Police involved in Korean telco drama
After the media began reporting on the alleged issue, the police got involved and investigated, finding that the source was one of KT’s data centers, known as the Bundang IDC Center.
Thus, the Gyeonggi Southern District Office reportedly believes that KT has violated the Communications Privacy Protection Act and the Information and Communications Network Act.
The initial probe was completed after four years and the CEO of the telecom company had to resign. This is one of the biggest probes. Telecommunications companies In South Korea.
In November 2023, it was said that the police had identified and referred 13 people for prosecution, including some employees and staff of its parent company at the time.
An additional investigation began in May 2024 and is still ongoing.
featured image: Through ideograms
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