This is a measure of this network operator to force users to stop using file-sharing programs via torrent protocols.
An in-depth investigation by South Korea’s JTBC recently revealed KT Group, one of the major telecommunications service providers in South Korea, deliberately installed malware for more than 600,000 users due to their use of torrent file-sharing services.
The problem began in May 2020 when Webhard, a South Korean cloud storage provider, received countless user complaints about unexplained errors. The company found out that their Grid Program, based on BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing, which was compromised. An unnamed Webhard representative said, “We suspect there was a hacking attack on theGrid services. It is very toxic, interfering with the operation of the program.”
Upon further investigation, the company found that all affected users used KT as an internet service provider. The representative added, “Only KT users have problems. Malware works on the user’s PC by creating strange folders or making files invisible. It completely disables the Webhard program itself. In some cases, PCs are also disabled. Therefore, we have reported the incident.”
The police entered the investigation based on this information and discovered the source of the malware coming from the data center Authorities believe that KT may have violated South Korean laws, including the Media Secrets Protection Act and the M Law.Information and Communications. Since November last year, they have identified and charged 13 individuals, including KT employees and subcontractors directly involved in v.malware attacks, but the investigation is still ongoing to this day.
According to the report, KT said that it directly installed malware on customers using Webhard’s Grid service because this is aThe program is malicious and “they have no choice but to control it.” However, the main problem here is not Webhard’s use of the BitTorrent protocol, but the installation of malware on your computer. customers without consent.
Webhard and KT have previously had disputes over KT’s use of the Grid Services. Webhard said it is saving tens of billions of South Korean won by allowing users to use peer-to-peer services for storage and storytelling. n data instead of being stored on its servers. On the other hand, the large number of users of the Grid service is putting a strain on KT’s network, and the two companies have taken each other to court to settle the matter t problem.
The court ruled in favor of KT. The court found that Webhard did not pay network usage fees to KT for its peer-to-peer system and did not explain the details t to the user about how the Grid service works. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for KT to block Webhard’s network traffic.
But instead of blocking IP addresses, KT attacked Grid service users with malware. Unfortunately, most of them are individuals, not businesses or companies, and they don’t know what’s going on.
The act of installing malware on hundreds of thousands of users of KT’s Grid service seems to be a strange move.mainly, because it is likely that they just want to prevent users from continuing to use Webhard’s BitTorrent torrent file-sharing service. But regardless of KT’s intentions, the move resulted in the loss of files and the failure of the customer’s computer. Not only are their users inconvenienced, but they are also likely to have to deal with computer problems stemming from the of the company.