Chanel Korea issues apology over data theft

Chanel Korea's official apology, posted on its website / Screenshot from Chanel Korea's website

By Kim Jae-heun

Online thieves managed to steal customer data, including phone numbers, in a cyberattack on some data centers managed by Chanel Korea. It's unknown whether clients affected by the data leak will take legal action against the French luxury brand's Korean firm.

In a rare move, Chanel Korea issued a public apology after disclosing the customer data leak that occurred between Aug. 5 and 6.

"Parts of our database, containing the personal information of the customers who had registered for our cosmetics brand membership, have been compromised. The leaked personal information includes: names, birthdays, phone numbers and product purchase lists," Chanel Korea wrote on its official website.

Customers who had agreed to provide their addresses, sex and email addresses had this personal information stolen too. The site vulnerabilities have reportedly been fixed since their discovery. Chanel Korea said that it took immediate action to identify the cause of the incident, while blocking the compromised internet protocol as well as illegal access routes to its database.

The French luxury brand added that the stolen data did not include customers' passwords or registration information.

"Those whose personal information was leaked have been notified individually by us through emails or text messages. If you have been contacted by an unknown number or email suspected of misusing your personal information, or if you think you have already suffered any damage due to the leak, please contact us by phone or email," Chanel Korea said. "We sincerely apologize for causing this inconvenience."

The luxury brand is teaming up with a private cybersecurity firm, as well as the Korea Internet & Security Agency and the Personal Information Protection Commission, to investigate the case.

However, secondary damage is still a possibility and Chanel Korea has yet to come up with concrete plans to compensate those affected. It also failed to confirm the number of victims affected from the cyberattack.

Previously, when similar data leaks occurred at internet financial service Toss and the local cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb and the personal information of their customers was compromised, the two companies offered 100,000 won ($87.37) in compensation per victim voluntarily.

Meanwhile, local customers have already been complaining, as Chanel Korea has raised the prices of its popular handbags and clothing twice this year, while failing to protect customers' personal data.

"When we think of Chanel, we expect the best-quality products and high-level service. That is why we spend thousands of dollars at their boutiques. Chanel Korea should compensate its customers who were affected by the cyberattack," a Chanel Korea customer said.

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