[비즈한국] As risks of cyberattacks and personal information leaks expand, the telecommunications industry was found to have strengthened its information security activities last year by increasing expenditure and personnel input in the information security sector and reorganizing related departments. In particular, LG Uplus032640, which suffered a leak of 180,000 customers' personal information in January 2023, increased its information security investment by 43% over the year, the largest increase among the three major mobile carriers. Shifts in attitudes toward information and personal data security can also be observed in sustainability reports, which outline each company's ESG indicators and business strategies. However, information security investment still stands at just 1% of revenue. Critics point out that as hacking threats become more sophisticated, a forward-looking approach to security is necessary.
Information Security Investment Increased by 16% Compared to the Previous Year
According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) disclosure on corporate information security status, the three major telecom carriers' information security investment last year was 244.95 billion KRW, a 16% increase from the previous year (210.3 billion KRW). Including SK Broadband (26.7 billion KRW), which handles the wired business for SK Telecom017670, the total reached 271.7 billion KRW, a 20% increase from the previous year and the highest level in history.
The telecom carrier with the largest information security investment and dedicated personnel is KT030200. As of 2022, KT's information security investment was 103.4 billion KRW, more than the combined total of SK Telecom and LG Uplus. Last year, it was found to have invested 121.75 billion KRW, an increase of 17% from that figure. While it has the largest number of security personnel in the industry at 337, its growth rate was the lowest compared to other companies.
LG Uplus, which faced the significant challenge of strengthening security following a large-scale personal information leak early last year, focused on advancing its information security over the year. LG Uplus invested 63.18 billion KRW in the information security sector, a 43% increase from the previous year (44.2 billion KRW). This scale exceeds the 2023 information security investment of SK Telecom, excluding SK Broadband.
Immediately after the leak incident, LG Uplus faced criticism for the fact that it had been spending the least among the three companies in the information security sector. A month after the incident, CEO Hwang Hyeon-sik held a press conference and promised, "To strengthen investment in security and quality, we will increase annual information security investment to 100 billion KRW, three times the existing level." By the end of 2023, dedicated personnel increased by more than a third to 157.5, but the ratio relative to total employees (3.2%) and the overall personnel scale remained the lowest.
SK Telecom was found to have invested 86.78 billion KRW in the information security sector last year, a 10% increase from the 78.7 billion KRW invested the year before last, based on the combined wired and wireless total. The number of dedicated personnel is 343.3, a 10% increase compared to the same period the previous year.
Prioritizing 'Information Security', Still a Challenge to Increase Low Investment Share Relative to Revenue
The telecommunications industry, having experienced a series of accidents such as personal information leaks and internet connection outages, is formulating response strategies to prevent recurrences and strengthen security systems. In addition to DDoS, cyber threats such as hacking, ransomware, and phishing are increasing overall, and as these threats become more intelligent and sophisticated, the importance of prevention and management is growing even further.
