South Korea recently imposed a small fine and stringent legal requirements on SK Telecom, citing a failure to provide secure communications to users. A government investigation revealed multiple malware infections on the company’s servers, leading to penalties and new security measures.
South Korea has leveled a small fine – but also onerous legal requirements – against mobile telecommunications provider SK Telecom, judging that the company “failed to fulfill its obligations” to provide its users with secure communications.
After a joint public-private investigation of the company’s more than 42,000 servers, a government task force found 28 servers infected with 33 different strains of malware, the Ministry of Science and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) stated in a report published on July 4.
The mobile provider will have to pay up to 30 million won ($21,890) for negligence as a result of its late reporting of a breach, but it also faces a slate of legal requirements, including quarterly security assessments, providing users with a free service to swap out their USIM, and allowing subscribers to cancel without penalty.
The company reportedly expects the measures to affect revenue by 700 billion won ($511 million).
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