Bae Kyung-hoon Addresses LG U+ IMSI Security Concerns, Dismisses Legal Violations
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon addressed recent controversy surrounding LG U+’s handling of Subscriber Identification Number (IMSI) security, stating that the issue does not appear to constitute a legal violation. He pledged a thorough response to the concerns raised.
During a general meeting of the Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee of the National Assembly on March 24th, Deputy Prime Minister Bae responded to questions from lawmakers regarding potential breaches of international standards or laws related to the IMSI values used by LG U+. He indicated the risk of secondary damage from IMSI leakage alone was “significantly low,” adding that concerns about location tracking require the presence of an IMSI catcher and specific environmental conditions.
While acknowledging that the direct entry of numbers may present a lower security level compared to random number generation, Bae maintained it wasn’t a legal issue. He confirmed LG U+ has decided to implement additional security measures, including SIM card replacements.
Yet, lawmakers expressed strong concerns and called for more decisive action, including a potential suspension of new subscriptions.
People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jang-gyeom criticized LG U+’s continued use of standards from the 2G era, calling it “a clear insensitivity to security.” Lee Hae-min, a member of the Korea Innovation Party, pointed to missed opportunities for updates in 2004 during the establishment of the IMSI value standard and LG U+’s introduction of LTE, suggesting intentional negligence. He advocated for a review of suspending new subscriptions to LG U+.
The controversy stems from the discovery that LG U+ incorporated mobile phone numbers, potentially identifiable to subscribers, into the process of generating IMSI values. Other South Korean telecommunication companies utilize random numbers for IMSI generation, making individual identification more difficult. LG U+ is scheduled to begin replacing subscriber SIM cards on April 13th to address the vulnerability.
Reporter Park Jun-ho junho@etnews.com