South Korean cybersecurity authorities believe that around 9.6 million user accounts may have been affected by a recent cyberattack on Kyowon Group, a major education service provider, according to informed sources on Wednesday.
The estimate comes from a government investigation team that includes the Korea Internet & Security Agency, following Kyowon Group’s report earlier this week of a possible security breach. The company said it had found signs of a ransomware attack, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Kyowon Group stated that it first noticed unusual activity in its internal systems on Saturday and later confirmed the possibility of a data breach. Authorities believe that about 600 out of the company’s 800 servers may be involved in the incident.
Investigators said Kyowon Group’s eight affiliates together manage data for around 13 million members. After removing duplicate users across services, the number drops to about 5.54 million unique individuals. However, the estimated 9.6 million affected accounts include cases where users hold more than one account across different services.
Kyowon Group operates in several sectors, including private tutoring, home appliance rentals, and funeral services. Because of this wide range of businesses, experts warn that the potential impact on customers could be significant.
So far, the company has not confirmed whether personal customer data was actually leaked. In a statement, Kyowon Group said it has found signs suggesting a possible data leak and is working closely with authorities and security agencies to determine the full extent of the incident.
The company added that if any customer data is confirmed to have been compromised, it will inform users openly and take appropriate steps.
In a separate development highlighting growing concerns over data security in South Korea, more than 150,000 customers recently left KT Corp., the country’s second-largest mobile carrier. The departures followed KT’s decision to waive early termination fees after a major data breach.
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Industry sources said nearly 155,000 KT users switched to rival carriers between December 31 and Thursday, with daily departures averaging over 17,000. Previously, SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile operator, lost around 160,000 users after introducing a similar fee waiver following its own large-scale data leak.
