Blocked 2,610 Malicious Apps Over Four Months… Prevented Approximately 107 Billion KRW in Damages
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| SK Telecom headquarters [Provided by SK Telecom] |
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, ‘[Herald Economy=Park Hye-rim] SK Telecom has achieved significant results in its battle against malicious applications (malicious apps).’,
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, ‘SK Telecom announced on the 16th that, in cooperation with the National Police Agency, it has identified and blocked a total of 2,610 malicious apps from December last year to March this year.’,
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, ‘This has resulted in prevention of damages worth approximately 107 billion KRW.’,
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, “The collaboration between SK Telecom and the National Police Agency to block malicious apps proceeded in two main directions. First, SK Telecom aimed to prevent voice phishing malicious app damages through AI model-based analysis by blocking smishing messages containing links to malicious apps, and tracking and blocking malicious domains and IPs provided by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).”,
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, ‘Subsequently, SK Telecom extracted potential customer groups for malicious app installation through AI model-based analysis, and provided this data to the National Police Agency through warrant execution. The police then dispatched officers to directly locate victims, remove malicious apps, and reduce damages.’,
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, ‘SK Telecom praised the significance of this cooperation with the National Police Agency, highlighting its essential contribution to practically preventing secondary financial fraud by directly reaching out to customers at risk of damage from malicious app installations.’,
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, ‘Recently rampant smishing crimes involve impersonating public institutions, sending announcements, or wedding invitations to trick users into clicking on links that inadvertently install malicious apps to steal personal and financial information.’,
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, ‘SK Telecom is advising customers to be especially cautious through various channels, as recent malicious apps are demanding excessive access to contacts, text messages, location, and increasing crimes such as small-payment fraud and non-face-to-face account openings.’,
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, ‘According to the National Police Agency, damages from voice phishing via malicious apps increased significantly from 447.2 billion KRW in 2023 to 854.5 billion KRW in 2024.’,
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, ‘Gwak Byeong-il, chief of the drug crime investigation division at the National Police Agency, stated, “Recently, a phishing scenario impersonating card delivery has emerged, and voice phishing organizations are continuously trying new tactics, so it’s imperative not to access unknown links or install suspicious apps.”‘,
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, ‘Son Yeong-gyu, SK Telecom’s Chief Information Security Officer, said, “SK Telecom will continue to work with the National Police Agency to reduce customer damage caused by malicious app installations,” adding that “public-private cooperation will continue in order to prevent various types of voice phishing and other damages.”‘,
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, ‘Meanwhile, since last July, SK Telecom has been offering the “Bait Message AI Detection Notification Service” to customers who have agreed to service use. By December 2024, approximately 9,700 bait messages were detected, preventing customer damage.’,
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