Data of 3M Lotte Card customers leaked in cyberattack in South Korea

South Korea's fifth-largest card issuer Lotte Card confirmed on Thursday that personal information for approximately 3 million customers was compromised in a cyberattack last month, according to Yonhap News.

The company said hackers stole around 200 gigabytes of data, including identification numbers, internal IDs, and contact information. However, no instances of misuse have been reported thus far.

Sensitive financial information, such as card numbers, verification codes, and expiration dates for approximately 280,000 customers, was also compromised, raising concerns about potential credit card fraud.
Meanwhile, Lotte Card CEO Cho Jwa-jin issued a public apology and promised full compensation for any damages.

He said the breach occurred between July 22 and August 27, during online settlement processes.

In July, South Korea also reported a data breach as a luxury brand suffered a cybersecurity incident, while the government fined a telecom firm over a separate breach.

In May, another brand, Dior, apologized after discovering a breach that occurred in January, while Tiffany & Co. also reported a data leak in April.

In April, South Korea's largest telecom provider, SK Telecom, disclosed the breach of personal data belonging to more than 20 million users, one of the largest cyberattacks in the country's history.