 |
Photo: SK Telecom |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Seoul, September 16, 2025 — Allegations of a massive data breach targeting SK Telecom have come under doubt, as cybersecurity experts suggest that the group claiming responsibility falsely posed as “Scattered Lapsus$,” a hacking collective that has already announced its retirement.
According to industry sources, the real Scattered Lapsus$ issued a statement on its official Telegram channel, denying involvement: “The claim that we hacked SK Telecom earlier this year is not true.” The group also released screenshots showing that the Telegram account behind the SK Telecom breach claim was impersonating “ShinyHunters,” another well-known hacking group. Scattered Lapsus$ clarified that ShinyHunters’ only legitimate Telegram account is “@Shinyc0rp,” stressing, “We do not make outrageous claims without evidence.”
ShinyHunters and Scattered Lapsus$ previously collaborated under the banner “Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters,” but both groups had earlier declared the end of their operations. On September 12, multiple cybersecurity outlets, including BankInfoSecurity, reported that the hacker coalition issued a farewell statement saying, “Our mission has been accomplished, and it is time to say goodbye.”
The controversy erupted when a group claiming to be Scattered Lapsus$ said it had obtained SK Telecom’s customer data and offered a sample dataset of 100GB for USD 10,000. The group threatened to release the personal data of 27 million customers along with administrator access credentials if the company did not respond.
However, given the official disbandment of Scattered Lapsus$, experts believe the individuals behind the claim are impostors seeking financial gain through fraudulent threats.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
