Coupang Breach Exposes 33 Million Users: A Wake-Up Call for South Korea's Data Protection

Coupang, South Korea's leading e-commerce platform, experienced a massive data breach affecting more than 33 million customers. Investigations point to an alleged Chinese ex-employee exploiting vulnerabilities. This incident highlights significant flaws in South Korea's data protection protocols, prompting calls for more robust punitive measures.

South Korean authorities are rigorously investigating Coupang's massive data breach, the most severe in over a decade, where over 33 million customers' personal information was exposed. The breach, first believed to have commenced on June 24, was only discovered in November.

Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon revealed that hackers exploited authentication weaknesses in Coupang's servers, spurring an official probe into potential violations of data protection laws by the e-commerce giant. Coupang, backed by SoftBank Group, disclosed that customer names, emails, phone numbers, and order histories were leaked but assured users that payment details and login credentials remained secure.

Coupang's internal investigation, supported by validations from broadcaster JTBC, implicates a former Chinese employee responsible for authentication tasks. This ex-employee reportedly accessed sensitive information using an active authentication key post their contract termination. Legal fallout is underway, with thousands of users considering a class action lawsuit, seeking compensation per individual at more than 100,000 won ($68).

(With inputs from agencies.)