SoutSouth Korea’s national data protection agency said on Thursday it had imposed a significant fine on matchmaking service Duo following a cybersecurity failure that led to the leak of highly sensitive personal information.
The compromised data included personal details often required in the South Korean dating market, such as weight, blood type and marital history.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said Duo failed to implement adequate security measures to protect its membership database. It also found the company was slow to respond after hackers breached its systems last year.
The regulator fined Duo 1.21 billion won (£665,000) and ordered it to take immediate corrective action. The company must overhaul its data protection systems and fully disclose technical details of the breach to affected users.
The scale of the breach is significant, given the sensitive nature of the data involved. Hackers gained unauthorised access to Duo’s main database in January last year and downloaded personal information belonging to more than 420,000 current and former members.
In addition to dating-related details, the stolen data included mobile phone numbers, home addresses, university histories and places of work.
The PIPC warned that such information could be used for identity theft, targeted phishing or social extortion.
The investigation also found Duo had breached data retention laws. The company stored highly sensitive information, including 13-digit national identification numbers and passwords, in violation of regulations.
It also failed to delete the dormant data of nearly 300,000 former users, despite a legal requirement to remove such information after five years.
The breach has raised concerns due to Duo’s prominent role in South Korean society. The company is one of the country’s best-known matchmaking services, operating in a culture where many people rely on professional agencies to find partners based on detailed socio-economic and personal criteria.
According to its website, Duo has facilitated more than 53,000 marriages and claims an average of seven couples marry each day through its service. It currently reports around 36,000 paying members.
In response to the ruling, the company issued a public apology. In a statement, Duo said it respected the regulator’s findings and “deeply regrets that we failed to adequately protect our members’ personal data.”
However, it said the breach resulted from a sophisticated “hacking attack that was extremely difficult to detect or prevent”, rather than negligence.
The incident is the latest in a series of major data breaches in South Korea. In recent years, companies across sectors, including e-commerce and telecommunications, have suffered similar incidents due to both cyber attacks and internal misconduct.
The growing number of breaches has prompted public concern and led the government to strengthen enforcement, signalling a tougher approach to data protection.
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian w...
International cyber agencies on Thursday (23 April) urged organisations to strengthen defences against covert networks used by China-linked hackers...
Central Asian leaders have warned that worsening water shortages now pose a direct threat to regional stability, urging coordinated action and stro...
The European Union says its envoy Gilles Bertrand raised concerns over women’s rights, regional security and cross-border tensions during a v...
European logistics companies are set to report stronger first-quarter profits, benefiting from supply chain disruption linked to the U.S.-Israeli w...
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian waters near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tehran said U.S. breaches, blockades and threats are undermining “genuine negotiations.”
Central Asian leaders have warned that worsening water shortages now pose a direct threat to regional stability, urging coordinated action and stronger international engagement.
European logistics companies are set to report stronger first-quarter profits, benefiting from supply chain disruption linked to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, though analysts warn the conflict could weaken demand later this year.
China has released a military propaganda video hinting at a possible fourth aircraft carrier - its first to be nuclear-powered.
Pakistan is confident it can bring Iran to talks with the United States, a senior official said, citing “positive signals” from Tehran, as JD Vance is reportedly set to visit Islamabad on Tuesday for peace talks, according to Axios.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted three vessels, seizing two of them for alleged maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is extending its ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal.
A gunman who killed seven people in a mass shooting in Kyiv on Saturday (18 April) had quarrelled with his neighbour before he opened fire on passersby, public broadcaster Suspilne cited Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as saying on Tuesday.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday, exclusively to Reuters.
International cyber agencies on Thursday (23 April) urged organisations to strengthen defences against covert networks used by China-linked hackers to conceal malicious activity, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said.
China has released a military propaganda video hinting at a possible fourth aircraft carrier - its first to be nuclear-powered.
U.S. Senate Republicans voted early on Thursday to advance a $70 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for three years.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
Pope Leo urged young people and families to embrace reconciliation and lead with dignity as he spoke at Bata Stadium in Equatorial Guinea on the final day of his Africa tour.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment