Tving data breach compromises 39.5 million accounts and core source code

Tving data breach source code leak cybersecurity user account compromise

A joint government-civilian investigation has confirmed a massive data breach at the South Korean streaming platform Tving, resulting in the compromise of approximately 39.54 million user accounts. The leaked data includes 22.06 million active accounts and 17.37 million inactive or dormant accounts. Information exposed spans 20 categories, including names, dates of birth, phone numbers, and email addresses. While passwords were encrypted, investigators noted that phone numbers and emails were effectively exposed in plain text because the encryption keys were also stolen.

In addition to user data, the breach included 361 technical assets totaling 30.35GB of source code. This leaked material contains critical technology such as content recommendation algorithms, user authentication systems, and payment management tools. The investigation revealed that attackers gained entry by stealing a developer's access key, which allowed them to move from the development environment into the operational AWS environment.

The Ministry of Science and ICT identified several security failures, including improper storage of access keys within source code, unencrypted database credentials, and a lack of dedicated security personnel. Tving also failed to report the incident to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) within the required 24-hour window. Consequently, the platform faces a fine of up to 30 million won and must submit a recurrence prevention plan.

Entities

CJ ENM · Korea Internet & Security Agency · Ministry of Science and ICT · Personal Information Protection Commission · Tving

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] Tving faces a fine of up to 30 million won for violating the Information and Communications Network Act. www.imaeil.com · www.sisajournal.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Hackers gained access by stealing a developer's access key and subsequently obtaining 43 operational environment access keys stored in the source code. www.imaeil.com · www.sisajournal.com · zdnet.co.kr
[● 5 SOURCES] Approximately 39.54 million user accounts were compromised in a data breach at Tving. www.imaeil.com · www.sisajournal.com · www.socialnews.xyz · www.koreaherald.com · zdnet.co.kr
[● 3 SOURCES] Tving failed to report the incident to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) within the required 24-hour window. www.imaeil.com · www.sisajournal.com · www.socialnews.xyz
[● 5 SOURCES] 361 development projects totaling 30.35GB of source code were leaked. www.imaeil.com · www.sisajournal.com · www.socialnews.xyz · www.koreaherald.com · zdnet.co.kr
[● 3 SOURCES] While passwords were encrypted, phone numbers and email addresses were effectively leaked in plain text because the encryption keys were also stolen. www.imaeil.com · www.sisajournal.com · zdnet.co.kr