Following large-scale personal data breaches at Coupang and Tving, users are changing how they respond to security threats. Instead of relying solely on corporate responses, more individuals are proactively checking for data leaks and changing their passwords to manage their personal information.
On June 28, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) reported that 414,000 people used the 'Find My Stolen Information' service in the first half of this year. This marks an approximately 84% increase from the second half of last year, which saw 225,000 users, and is about 2.5 times higher than the 164,000 users in the first half of last year.
This figure is the second highest since the service launched, following the first half of 2023, which had 448,000 users. The spike in users at that time was largely due to promotions through major YouTube channels and television programs. In contrast, the increase in the first half of this year reflects heightened anxiety and awareness among users following the recent data breaches at Coupang and Tving.
The rise in users in the second half of last year also followed the Coupang data breach, while the significant increase in the first half of this year coincided with Tving's major data leak. As data breaches continue to occur, there is a growing sentiment that users must take responsibility for checking their accounts and enhancing their security, rather than viewing data protection as solely a corporate responsibility.
The 'Find My Stolen Information' service allows users to check if their usernames and passwords have been illegally circulated on the dark web. While it does not confirm whether personal data has been leaked from specific companies, the surge in users during major breaches indicates a rising societal awareness of data security issues.
Experts in the security industry warn that the impact of recent data breaches extends beyond just the exposure of names and contact information. If leaked account information is reused across multiple sites, the risk of cascading hacks increases significantly.
Many users employ the same username and password across various platforms, raising the risk of financial losses due to account theft and spam.
In response, KISA recommends that users check for data leaks using the 'Find My Stolen Information' service if they suspect a breach, and immediately change passwords for all sites associated with the affected account. They also advise enabling two-factor authentication (2FA), logging out of all devices, and activating login alerts as additional security measures.
Park Chun-sik, a former professor of cybersecurity at Ajou University, stated, "It is a fundamental duty of companies to manage personal data securely, and they should bear strong responsibility in the event of a data breach." However, he added, "It is difficult to fully protect personal data through corporate security efforts alone."
He emphasized that users must recognize personal data as a valuable asset and develop habits to protect it, advising against using the same password across different sites and promoting the regular use of two-factor authentication as the most effective preventive measures.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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