Personal information of 500,000 customers leaked, secondary crisis due to information spread
In November 2024, Company U, a major domestic mid-sized company, suffered system hacking.We experienced an incident where approximately 500,000 pieces of personal information were leaked.
The leaked information included sensitive personally identifiable information, such as the first digits of resident registration numbers and contact information.
The bigger problem was right after the accident, because the leaked information was indiscriminately spread to anonymous communities, SNS, and overseas channels within 48 hours of the accident.
Some actual data shared as screenshotsbecome,Titles such as “Company U’s entire personal information file”The number of posts has increased rapidly.
Problem situation facing company U
- Actual leaked data screenshots spread on DC Inside, Ruliweb, etc.
- Indiscriminate distribution of “personal information files” on Twitter-centered SNS
- Attempting to trade data in an overseas anonymous community
- Simultaneous spread of defamatory posts such as “poor security system” and “irresponsible customer information management”
The beginning of a double crisis caused by Company U's legal liability and reputational decline.
The beginning of a double crisis of legal liability and reputational damage.
Company U faced several double crises in this situation.
1. Risk of legal liability
Risk of fines and class action lawsuits due to violation of the Personal Information Protection Act;If the spread of leaked information is left unattended, the level of punishment may be increased due to “lack of active response.”This was high.
2. Reputation plummets
Corporate trust has fallen due to media reports and worsening public opinion on social media.It was more than just an accident, it was at risk of being branded a “company that cannot protect customer information.”
3. Limits on training capacity of internal employees
In the absence of dedicated personnel to monitor and collect evidence 24 hours a day, the IT security team had to prepare for system recovery and the legal team had to prepare to respond to lawsuits.
thus‘Chaos of chaos’, with time running out and lack of professional crisis response both internally and externally to the company.It was to the extent that it could be expressed as,
🔓 72 hours of golden time to prevent the spread of posts, why is it important?
Why is the 72-hour golden time to prevent the spread of posts important?
Company U contacted White Me 36 hours after the accident occurred. Fortunately, since the ‘golden time to prevent the spread of posts had not yet exceeded 72 hours’, action was able to be taken more quickly.
In the event of an online cyber incident such as personal information leakage,‘Why is 72 hours considered golden time’?
Why are 72 hours ‘key’?
In the digital environment, harmful information initially spreads according to ‘Metcalfe’s Law’.
McKelp's Law states that the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of users.This principle can also be applied to the spread of leaked information.
In other words, if the number of people sharing information doubles, the spread speed increases exponentially to 4 times, and if it triples, it increases exponentially to 9 times.
If you miss the golden time of 72 hours
- Exponential post spread & growth
- 2nd/3rd duplicate posts cannot be controlled
- Information may be distributed across dozens or more channels, making tracking difficult.
Accordingly, White Me has launched an ‘all-in-one legal response package’ service.Company U implemented three strategies for the remaining 36 hours of golden time.
Company U’s customized ‘all-in-one package service’
1. 24/7 real-time monitoring system operation
Real-time detection of keywords for posts related to leaked information in domestic and overseas online platform channels ⇒ Collection of posts
2. Priority classification of collected data
Posts containing actual customer information leakage data are set as the ‘highest priority response target’
3. Input of legal experts
Review the legal basis for deletion and proceed with AI emergency deletion request
From anonymous communities to overseas platforms, 24-hour tracking system
channel type
Specific platform name
Domestic anonymous community
DC Inside, Ruliweb, Femco
SNS
X, Instagram, Thread
overseas platform
Reddit, 4chan, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, etc.
Blog/Cafe
Naver, Tistory, Daum
From anonymous communities to overseas platforms, 24-hour tracking system
White Me’s AI-based real-time monitoring systemYou can even track anonymous/overseas platforms that are difficult for ordinary people to find.
Real-time notification as soon as a post is discovered
The White Me monitoring system notifies the person in charge of communication as soon as it discovers a post related to leaked information.
- Even posts posted at 2 a.m. are immediately notified through automatic crawling.
- Real-time detection and notification of overseas channel posts
In the case of Company U, 847 posts were detected in real time for approximately 72 hours after the White Me intervention, and immediate response was initiated.
Posts that would otherwise have been impossible to detect through regular manual monitoring can be automatically captured within an average of 1 minute.
🔓 Personal information leakage goes beyond ‘blocking spread’ to ‘legal retribution’
Personal information leakage goes beyond ‘blocking spread’ to ‘legal punishment’
Company U initially aimed only at ‘blocking the spread’ of personal information leaks, but changed its mind slightly after seeing the monitoring results.
This is because, among the contents confirmed in the monitoring results, distribution with clear malicious intent, not simple curiosity, was discovered one after another.
Some posts intentionally clean up leaked data and redistribute it.Or,It also contains content encouraging secondary distribution, saying, “If you have additional information, share it.”I did. Attempts to threaten companies using leaked information have even been detected.
Accordingly, Company U concluded that “malicious spreaders must be held legally accountable,” and even provided a complaint data collection service.You have decided to receive an overall reputation management solution through the White Me service as an ‘all-in-one package service’.
However, there is one problem here: when filing criminal charges or civil lawsuits, valid evidence is needed in court. A simple screenshot was not enough to prove its legal effect.
thusWhite Me specializes in evidence collectionsecond,Company U’s in-house legal team has expertise in legal reviewWe have established a collaboration system that provides.
The role of White Me service
- Collect evidence with legal effect through AI automatic collection system
- Real-time monitoring and immediate capture of new circulating posts
- Organizes deposit data into a format that can be used by the legal team
The role of Company U’s legal team
- Review of legal validity of collected evidence
- Establishment of complaint/litigation strategy and preparation of legal documents
- Response to the Personal Information Protection Committee and logic for fine reduction
What constitutes a legally binding complaint?
- Capture the original post (including images, text, and comments)
- Creation time and IP information (to the extent available)
- URL and account information
- Timestamp authentication (notarization-level point-in-time proof)
Utilization of secured evidence
✓ Used to identify spreaders when filing criminal charges
✓ Claiming damages in civil litigation Submit as supporting data
✓ Proof of the company’s proactive response during investigations with accident-related agencies Use as data
The 762 pieces of evidence secured in this way could be used in the above manner in cooperation with Company U's legal team.
Outbreak prevention performance varies depending on golden time response
Achievement in preventing spread depends on response within 72 hours
Achievements proven by numbers
During the first 48 hours after the incident, leaked information posts wereincreases exponentiallyI did it. But when White Me intervened, the situation turned around.
- Posts detected: 847 cases
- Obtain evidence: 762 cases (90% success rate)
- Deletion complete: 689 cases (90.4% deletion rate)
- Secondary distribution prevention rate: 87%
What is especially noteworthy isThe secondary distribution prevention rate is 87%.Although it is impossible to completely prevent attempts to re-upload deleted posts, White Me continues to monitor them even after deletion.Collect spreading posts in less than 1 minute on averageI did it.
This allowed us to quickly respond to redistributed posts before they spread.
Pursuing legal responsibility beyond anonymity
Due to the nature of anonymous communities and overseas channels, it was not easy to identify the spreader. However, thanks to White Me’s professional deposit system,Secured information on 18 spreadersI could do it.
They did not simply share information,
- Organize and redistribute leaked data systematically
- Encouraging secondary distribution by requesting “more information to be shared”
- Intimidation attempt using leaked information
etc.In case of clear malicious intentIt was. Company U filed a criminal complaint against them and delivered a strong message that “although we were unable to prevent the leak of personal information, malicious distribution will be punished.”
🔓 Personal information leakage incident, internal capabilities alone have limitations
Work with White Me to prevent the spread of personal information immediately after an incident!
When it comes to personal information leakage incidents, there are limits to internal capabilities alone.
As seen in the case of Company U, the initial response to a personal information leak incident determines everything. However, many companies are missing the golden time by trying to monitor and collect evidence 24 hours a day with only internal personnel.
White Me All-in-One Legal Response Package is a solution for these companies.
Solutions provided by White Me
- 24-hour real-time monitoring immediately captures posts posted early in the morning
- Securing large amounts of valid evidence in court through AI automatic collection
- Emergency deletion system blocks spread within 72 hours of golden time
- Supports management decision-making by providing professional reports
- Supports close collaboration with the company's internal legal team
If you are in this situation, find White Me right now.
- When malicious posts related to a company are spreading in anonymous communities or SNS
- When 24-hour monitoring is not possible with internal personnel alone
- When it is necessary to secure evidence for legal action
If you are currently worried about your company’s internal and external risks,Click here.White Me will be with you through professionalism and reliability when dealing with important reputational crises for your company.[Service inquiry]
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