SK Telecom registers over 24 million users on USIM protection service following cyberattack
This photo, taken on Monday, shows a notice on the suspension of new sign-ups on the window of a store directly operated by SK Telecom Co. in Seoul. Yonhap
SK Telecom Co. said Tuesday it has enrolled more than 24 million customers on its universal subscriber identity module (USIM) protection service following a recent data breach involving the company's network.
Some 24.1 million subscribers had been signed in to the service as of 9 a.m., the company said in a daily briefing on its response to the hacking incident.
About 1.04 million users switched their USIM cards after the company began offering free replacements to all of its customers last week, with an accumulated 7.8 million having made reservations for new USIM cards.
The automatic enrollment system for SK Telecom users into the USIM protection service began Friday to provide the same level of defense against illegal financial activities as physically replacing the USIM chip.
"We apologize as many of our users are still waiting to replace their USIM cards," said Kim Hee-sup, head of SK Telecom's Public Relations Center, noting the company is working to resolve the shortage "as soon as possible."
SK Telecom, the largest mobile carrier in South Korea, detected a cyberattack on April 18 and discovered signs of a large-scale leak of customers' USIM data.
The company's user base accounts for nearly half of the country's population of some 52 million.
On Monday, SK Telecom suspended new subscriber sign-ups nationwide in compliance with the government's administrative guidance not to receive new customers until it resolves the ongoing shortage of USIM cards for replacement and stronger measures are implemented to protect customer data.