South Korean telecommunications giant KT was involved in a scandal when it deliberately infected more than 600 thousand of its customers with malware for using the torrent service Webhard Grid.
Giant cyberattack
KT malware
In May 2020, South Korean cloud service provider Webhard received numerous user complaints about crashes and errors in its Grid application, which uses the BitTorrent protocol. It turned out that the program was hacked, and problems arose exclusively among clients of the KT Internet provider. Malicious software created strange folders on computers, made files invisible, and completely disabled Webhard. In some cases, it even completely blocked the PC.
Investigation and charges
Police investigated and discovered that the malware was being distributed from KT's data center. The company may have violated the country's communications privacy laws. Law enforcement identified the perpetrators and brought charges against 13 KT employees and subcontractors involved in the attack.
KT's motives and justifications
KT admitted to installing viruses on its Grid Service subscribers, saying it was the only way to control the malicious application. However, the problem was not with the BitTorrent torrent protocol itself, but with the illegal installation of malware without user consent, which resulted in the loss of files and broken computers.
Conflict with Webhard
The conflict between KT and Webhard lasted for a long time due to the latter's use of P2P technologies. Webhard saved billions of won by allowing users to exchange data directly, bypassing their servers. However, this put a lot of strain on the KT network. Previously, the court sided with the telecommunications giant, ruling that Webhard does not pay for using the network and does not explain the details of the Grid Service.
Glossary
- KT (Korea Telecom) is the largest telecommunications provider in South Korea.
- Webhard is a South Korean company, cloud service provider and owner of the BitTorrent-based Grid service.
- Grid Service - Webhard P2P file sharing service using the BitTorrent protocol.
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Answers to questions
Which company deliberately infected Software of your clients?
How does KT justify its actions of installing malware?
What consequences arose for users due to KT's actions?
What laws might KT have violated with its actions?
What was the reason for the disagreement between Webhard and KT?
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Discussion of the topic – A major South Korean telecom distributed malware to torrent users
South Korean telecommunications giant KT infected more than 600,000 torrent users with malware in 2020, and cloud service clients were affected.
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Алекс
What a scandal! 🤯 I had no idea that providers could do this to their clients. This is a complete breach of trust.
Катя
Yes, a truly shocking situation. I wonder what their motivation was? They probably wanted to fight piracy and torrents, but such methods are unacceptable. 🚫
Жан
I agree, this goes beyond all limits. Even if they fought against copyright infringers, they shouldn't install malware without their customers' knowledge. This is a complete disrespect for people's privacy. 😠
Мария
Can you imagine how many people could have suffered? Losing files, damaging equipment - this is a real nightmare! 😰 I hope the company has to fork out huge fines.
Козьма Петрович
Hmm, I think that this hype around torrents is generally exaggerated. 🙄 Nowadays, there are many legal ways to watch movies and listen to music. Young people are simply accustomed to freeloading everything.
Лена
Kozma Petrovich, you are surprisingly categorical! 😄 Yes, torrents are often used for illegal content. But what if someone downloaded open sources or shared their files? Should this also be punished by malware?
Павел
I believe that the very essence of the problem is important here. Namely, interference with privacy and violation of consumer rights. 👎 Providers cannot install malware with impunity, whatever their motives.
Анна
I completely agree! 💯 Even if it was a “good” motive for fighting piracy, such methods are unacceptable. This could be the first step towards total control over our data and actions on the Internet.