LG U+, one of South Korea's largest carriers, confirmed to TechCrunch that it had reported a suspected data breach to KISA, South Korea's national cybersecurity watchdog, but did not say when the findings of the investigation would be available.
South Korea's three major telecommunications providers, SK Telecom, KT Telecom, and now LG U+, have all reported cybersecurity incidents in the past six months, pending confirmation from the South Korean government.
South Korea's Ministry of Science, Information and Communications told TechCrunch that an investigation into KT and LG Uplus that began last month is still ongoing amid reports that the companies may have faced cyberattacks similar to the recent SK Telecom breach.
In July, KISA also reportedly discovered signs of possible hacking and asked LG U+ to submit a formal report. Despite KT reporting in August that users' data had been compromised after unauthorized micro-base stations were connected to its network, LG's communications division initially denied any signs of a breach. KISA declined to comment.
The move comes about two months after hacking magazine Phrack claimed that Chinese or North Korean hackers stole data from nearly 9,000 LG Uplus servers.
LG Uplus's report comes amid a wave of massive hacks in South Korea affecting telecommunications companies, credit card companies, tech startups, and government agencies, and highlights vulnerabilities previously reported by TechCrunch.
South Korea's cybersecurity system is fragmented and lacks experts, hampering its ability to respond to cyber threats.