Lotte Giftiel hack leaks data of 18,359 customers in South Korea

The number of people whose personal information was leaked due to a hack at Giftiel, a mobile coupon service affiliated with Lotte Group, totaled 18,359. The company said that no monetary damage from fraudulent coupon use has been confirmed so far.

According to Spoon, the operator of Giftiel, on the 25th the company detected signs of abnormal activity from unauthorized external access at 7:16 p.m. on the 22nd. The company immediately suspended the service and implemented emergency security measures, including blocking the attack IP and strengthening system access controls. After fixing vulnerabilities and conducting security checks, the service resumed at 5:20 p.m. on the 23rd.

The leaked personal information consists of four items: name, mobile phone number, email address, and bank account number. Spoon began notifying affected individuals one by one via MMS starting at 7:22 p.m. on the 23rd. An investigation into the specific cause of the breach and the scale of damage is also underway.

Spoon reported the incident to the Personal Information Protection Commission, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), the Financial Supervisory Service, and other relevant agencies at 4:30 p.m. on the 23rd, and requested an investigation by law enforcement. It is providing guidance on its website to prevent secondary damage and is also operating a channel to receive reports of harm.

The company urged customers to be cautious of text messages, emails, and phone calls from unclear sources and not to click suspicious links. If misuse of bank account information is suspected, it recommended checking accounts through services such as the integrated account management service and, if necessary, taking measures to suspend payments.

A Daehong Communications official said, "We are confirming the scope of the damage, and no specific compensation plan has been finalized yet," and added, "We will do our best to prevent additional damage and a recurrence."

Giftiel handles the issuance of mobile vouchers and inquiries use and refunds for Lotte-affiliated dining brands such as Lotteria and Angel-in-us. Through the corporate mobile gift certificate delivery platform Giftiel Biz, it also carries 3,000 products from more than 150 brands, including Lotte Mart, Lotte Cinema, Starbucks, and Baemin.