SGI hack halts operations

[Anchor]

The computer network of SGI (Seoul Guarantee Insurance), which provides installment purchases and loan guarantees, has been hacked and has been paralyzed for three days now.

Guarantee operations have also been suspended.

SGI has stated that it will compensate 100% for damages caused by the hacking and has begun accepting damage reports.

Reporter Song Su-jin has the story.

[Report]

This is a mobile phone agency in Jongno, Seoul.

Customers wanting to purchase devices on installment have faced difficulties since the day before yesterday (7.14).

SGI's credit insurance is essential, but for three days, neither inquiries nor enrollments have been possible.

As a temporary measure, they are allowing 'pre-activation, post-guarantee,' but in the absence of a guarantee, if customers default, the agency must cover the installment payments.

[Mobile phone agency representative: "It's difficult because we can't check if they have credit or not. Since mobile phones cost over 1 million won, there is a bit of risk."]

Loan guarantees are still facing obstacles.

For cases where the guarantee process had started before the hacking, they have decided to provisionally allow 'pre-loan,' but obtaining new guarantees is not possible.

Not only the main product, jeonse loans, but also the so-called 'room deduction' insurance that increases the limit for mortgage loans has been blocked.

It is difficult to predict when the recovery will be completed.

They are currently working to restore backup data instead of data contaminated by 'ransomware,' but it is uncertain whether 100% restoration is possible.

A senior official from the financial authorities explained, "It's taking time as we are attempting self-recovery without negotiating with the hacker organization."

SGI has a policy to compensate 100% for damages once a causal relationship with the hacking is confirmed.

Today (7.16), they began accepting damage reports.

The Financial Supervisory Service plans to inspect whether financial security procedures were followed as soon as the recovery is completed.

The police have also launched a pre-investigation into the circumstances of the hacking.

This is KBS News, Song Su-jin.