SK Telecom Issues Warning on Phishing and Smishing Attacks Exploiting Free SIM Card Replacement

As SK Telecom (SKT) will implement free SIM card replacements due to the theft of some SIM card information in a hacking attack, phishing and smishing attacks exploiting this situation have emerged, increasing user anxiety.

Additionally, there have been delays in accessing the PASS authentication application as many SK Telecom subscribers are trying to use the identity theft prevention service.

According to the IT industry on the 27th, from the morning until after 4 PM that day, users trying to access the PASS app received notices of service delays.

PASS stated, "Due to the surge in the usage of the identity theft prevention service, service may be temporarily suspended or delayed. We appreciate your understanding and are currently working to stabilize the service and will strive to resume normal operation quickly."

The official website of the identity theft prevention service 'MSAFER' operated by the Korea Information and Communication Promotion Association (KAIT) also experienced access delays.

Phishing Cases Exploiting Free SIM Card Replacement Confirmed

Phishing and smishing cases exploiting SKT's free SIM card replacement have also been confirmed.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) issued an urgent security announcement after discovering cases where users were led to input personal information on external phishing sites under the guise of "free SIM card replacement" and "SIM protection service."

The discovered cases involve displaying search results that extract excerpts from some media reports when relevant keywords are entered into a search engine. Clicking on these search results leads to gambling sites through an intermediate non-profit domain.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and KISA urged users to verify whether the address of the sites appearing in the search results matches legitimate sites and to refrain from accessing sites with unclear sources.

They emphasized that if users accidentally access phishing sites, they should never input personal information or install malicious apps.

The Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "We expect phishing and smishing attacks impersonating free SIM card replacements to continue, and we are currently detecting and blocking similar phishing sites quickly," and mentioned that they are enhancing monitoring to prepare for incidents.

Meanwhile, on the 28th, SKT is conducting free SIM card replacements at over 2,600 T World stores nationwide and has begun operating an online reservation system.

While the online reservation system was opened to avoid confusion at physical stores, the influx of users has caused delays in accessing the system.

The sudden surge in users has led to traffic overload, causing the number of people waiting to exceed tens of thousands, increasing consumer dissatisfaction.

Image Source: Photo = Insight, T World app capture image, Ministry of Science and ICT