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Coupang Leak Exposes 33.7M S. Koreans
9 Dec
Summary
- South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang suffered a massive data leak.
- Personal information of 33.7 million customers was exposed.
- Police raided Coupang's Seoul headquarters over the breach.
South Korean e-commerce leader Coupang is facing intense scrutiny after a significant data leak affected approximately 33.7 million customers. The breach, which occurred between June and November, exposed sensitive personal information including names, contact details, and partial order histories. Authorities became aware of the incident last month, leading to a police raid on Coupang's Seoul headquarters for evidence gathering.
The company has confirmed that payment details and login credentials were not compromised. This massive data exposure, impacting nearly two-thirds of South Korea's population, has prompted calls for swift action and compensation for affected users. The leak is suspected to have originated from Coupang's overseas servers, with a former employee of Chinese nationality identified as a potential culprit.
This incident follows a trend of major data breaches in South Korea, including a significant breach at SK Telecom and suspected state-sponsored hacking activities. Coupang is now also facing a class-action lawsuit in the United States, where its global headquarters is based, highlighting the widespread impact of the data security lapse.
