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Data breach

KakaoTalk Open Chat users' personal data leaked and traded illegally

First reported · Last reported · 25 related reports

A hacker combined information obtained through a vulnerability in KakaoTalk Open Chat rooms and an illegal program using member serial numbers to identify individuals and sold the data. The Personal Information Protection Commission confirmed that the data of 696 people was leaked and posted and estimated at least 65,791 records were leaked. Kakao contested the imposition of the fine in court but lost in the first trial; the appeal then disputed whether personal data was leaked and whether protective measures were adequate.

Key facts

Affected organization
Kakao
Incident type
Data breach
Occurred / detected
Not confirmed
Scale of damage
Leak and posting of 696 people's data confirmed; at least 65,791 records estimated leaked
Cause / method
Information collected via an Open Chat temporary ID vulnerability and an illegal program was combined using member serial numbers
Location
South Korea

If your data was exposed

View Kakao notice ↗
  1. Don’t tap links in texts, calls or emails that mention this incident and offer compensation, refunds or breach checks. Check directly on the organization’s official website or app.
  2. If you’ve suffered harm, report it. Call 118 (no area code) for privacy violations, contact the police for financial losses, and apply for dispute mediation to seek compensation.Personal Information Infringement Report Center ↗Korean National Police Agency cybercrime report ↗Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee ↗

Lookup and notice links are official pages found by AI. Make sure the address is on the organization’s official domain before using it.

Timeline

  1. The leak of personal data of more than 65,000 KakaoTalk Open Chat users came to light.
  2. The Personal Information Protection Commission imposed a fine of about 15.1 billion won on Kakao over the personal data leak.
  3. The Personal Information Protection Commission confirmed the leak and posting of 696 people's data and estimated at least 65,791 records were leaked, while Kakao said it would contest whether it had violated the law.
  4. Kakao lost its lawsuit challenging the fine.
  5. On appeal, Kakao and the Personal Information Protection Commission disputed the personal data leak and the adequacy of protective measures.

25 related reports

The summary and key facts are written by AI from related reports and may contain errors. Check the original articles and the organization’s official statements for accurate details.