Major South Korean online retailer Coupang has attributed the recent exposure of its customers' data to a former employee, reports Korea JoongAng Daily.
While the theft of an internal security key enabled access to almost 33 million customer accounts, the ex-employee was able to save data from only about 3,000 customers, including their names, phone numbers, physical and email addresses, and certain order details, according to Coupang. No payment details, personal customs clearance identification numbers, and login credentials were exposed as a result of the breach, while all devices implicated in the data leak, including a MacBook Air laptop that the former employee tried to dispose of, have been recovered.
Such a disclosure from Coupang has been opposed by the South Korean government, which is still investigating the incident. All of Coupang's claims regarding the extent of the breach also remain unverified by the joint public-private investigation team, said the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT.
While the theft of an internal security key enabled access to almost 33 million customer accounts, the ex-employee was able to save data from only about 3,000 customers, including their names, phone numbers, physical and email addresses, and certain order details, according to Coupang. No payment details, personal customs clearance identification numbers, and login credentials were exposed as a result of the breach, while all devices implicated in the data leak, including a MacBook Air laptop that the former employee tried to dispose of, have been recovered.
Such a disclosure from Coupang has been opposed by the South Korean government, which is still investigating the incident. All of Coupang's claims regarding the extent of the breach also remain unverified by the joint public-private investigation team, said the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT.
