South Korean startup project 'Modu-ui Chang-up' suffers data breach, leaks applicant ideas

A data breach has compromised personal information within South Korea's 'Modu-ui Chang-up' (Everyone's Startup) project, a government-backed initiative designed to foster innovation.

The Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship (KISE) announced the incident on June 18, apologizing for the "unauthorized access and information leakage." The breach affected approximately 5,000 individuals who were first-round applicants. KISE stated that affected applicants were notified individually.

“

We have confirmed the circumstances of information leakage through unauthorized channels.

According to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), the unauthorized access attempts were detected on June 15, shortly after the personal profiles of the first-round applicants were made public. The ministry confirmed that unauthorized access pathways were blocked by the afternoon of the same day. The following day, after receiving a user complaint about receiving promotional emails to a non-public email address, additional security measures were implemented to block external AI-based automated collection attempts.

“

We recognized the fact on the afternoon of the 15th and blocked the unauthorized access path by 4 p.m.

Investigations revealed that the leaked data, accessed via nine IP addresses, includes email addresses, summarized startup ideas, and review comments. The MSS emphasized that sensitive information such as applicants' real names, mobile phone numbers, and detailed startup proposals have not been found to be compromised at this time. KISE has reported the incident to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and is collaborating with external cybersecurity agencies, including the National Cyber Security Center, to investigate the breach and reinforce system security.

The 'Modu-ui Chang-up' project, led by the MSS, aims to discover and support 5,000 startup talents nationwide through funding and mentoring. The first round of recruitment saw over 63,000 applications, with 5,000 individuals selected. The ministry has pledged to take all necessary measures swiftly to protect victims and prevent further damage.

“

We are taking this matter very seriously and will promptly implement all necessary measures to protect victims and prevent further damage.