180,000 pieces of personal info leaked from Sogang University in cyberattack

Sogang University in Seoul fell victim to a cyberattack, resulting in the leaked personal data of approximately 180,000 individuals, including students, graduates, faculty members, and others, officials announced on Saturday. Among those potentially affected is former President Park Geun-hye. The university disclosed that the breach originated from an unidentified external attack targeting its integrated login account information system.

The compromised data encompasses student identification numbers, names, affiliations, mobile phone numbers, and passwords. The university became aware of the attack on Friday, three days after the intrusion took place. Subsequently, the school promptly blocked the IP address associated with the attack, implemented emergency protocols, and reported the incident to the Personal Information Protection Commission and the education ministry.

Emergency response measures have been successfully concluded, and the university is currently engaged in a thorough investigation to identify any vulnerable points within its internal server. In addition to these efforts, the institution is collaborating with an external cybersecurity firm to fortify its monitoring system and prevent any further damage.

Former President Park Geun-hye, who earned her degree in electronics engineering from the university in 1974, is believed to be among the individuals whose information was compromised. Her student ID, which was publicly disclosed during her 2007 presidential campaign, can be entered into a dedicated website to verify if her data has been included in the leaked information.