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South Korean media outlets report that local telecommunications company KT deliberately infected customers with malware due to their excessive use of peer-to-peer (P2P) download tools.
The number of infected users of "web hard drives"-the South Korean term for web storage services that allow you to download and share content — has reached 600,000.
Malware designed to hide files was allegedly embedded in the Grid Program, a program that allows KT users to exchange data using the peer-to-peer method. Subsequently, file sharing services stopped working, which caused massive user complaints.
The situation began to unfold in May 2020 and lasted for almost 5 months. Traffic restriction fraud occurred in one of KT's data centers. In connection with the incident, the police raided the company's headquarters and data center, seized evidence and launched an investigation on suspicion of violating data protection and privacy laws.
During the investigation, it was revealed that KT had a whole team dedicated to detecting and interfering with file transfers. Some employees were engaged in malware development, while others were engaged in its distribution and operation, as well as in wiretapping. According to preliminary data, 13 employees of KT and partner companies who may be brought to justice are under suspicion.
KT has yet to officially confirm the incident. According to local media, the company's position is that the P2P web hard service itself is a malicious program, so the company is forced to control it. However, the methods of such "control" caused a storm of indignation in society.
P2P networks can indeed create a significant load on networks, just like regular streaming services. Because of this, even South Korean telecommunications companies were in a bitter legal dispute with Netflix over who should pay for the network's operating and construction costs. However, spreading malware and deleting customer files are unacceptable practices that raise serious ethical questions about privacy and consent.
The number of infected users of "web hard drives"-the South Korean term for web storage services that allow you to download and share content — has reached 600,000.
Malware designed to hide files was allegedly embedded in the Grid Program, a program that allows KT users to exchange data using the peer-to-peer method. Subsequently, file sharing services stopped working, which caused massive user complaints.
The situation began to unfold in May 2020 and lasted for almost 5 months. Traffic restriction fraud occurred in one of KT's data centers. In connection with the incident, the police raided the company's headquarters and data center, seized evidence and launched an investigation on suspicion of violating data protection and privacy laws.
During the investigation, it was revealed that KT had a whole team dedicated to detecting and interfering with file transfers. Some employees were engaged in malware development, while others were engaged in its distribution and operation, as well as in wiretapping. According to preliminary data, 13 employees of KT and partner companies who may be brought to justice are under suspicion.
KT has yet to officially confirm the incident. According to local media, the company's position is that the P2P web hard service itself is a malicious program, so the company is forced to control it. However, the methods of such "control" caused a storm of indignation in society.
P2P networks can indeed create a significant load on networks, just like regular streaming services. Because of this, even South Korean telecommunications companies were in a bitter legal dispute with Netflix over who should pay for the network's operating and construction costs. However, spreading malware and deleting customer files are unacceptable practices that raise serious ethical questions about privacy and consent.
