Leak exposes personal info of 39,000 Mirae Asset Securities customers, employees

A significant data breach has exposed the personal information of approximately 39,000 customers and employees of Mirae Asset Securities Co., South Korea's leading brokerage firm, according to a statement on Saturday. The firm, which handles a substantial portion of the country's financial transactions, revealed that the compromised data includes the account numbers of around 3,800 customers, as well as sensitive information from over 35,000 current and former employees, contractors, and other associated parties.

The intrusion occurred over a two-day period, beginning on Wednesday and Thursday, specifically targeting Mirae Asset's mobile web phone authentication login service and its internal systems. The leaked data comprises a range of sensitive information, including the names, employee identification numbers, email addresses, mobile phone numbers, and passwords of the affected individuals.

In response to the breach, Mirae Asset took immediate action to secure the affected systems. The company promptly blocked the unauthorized access routes upon detecting suspicious external IP addresses and activated its emergency response mechanism. Furthermore, the firm reported the incident to the relevant authorities, including the Financial Services Commission, the Financial Supervisory Service, and the Personal Information Protection Commission.

This data breach follows a series of similar incidents involving Mirae Asset's sister companies, raising concerns about the firm's overall data security practices. The leaked information has the potential to cause significant harm to both the affected individuals and the company itself, highlighting the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures in the financial sector.