Internal router issue caused KT service crash, not DDoS attack

[Photo by Yonhap]

(Updated with KT correction)

KT Corp. formally apologized for a massive internet crash and blackout that lasted 40 minutes to an hour before midday Monday across South Korea by identifying router trouble as the cause and not a hacking attack.

The fixed and wireless communication major confirmed a router issue as the cause of an outage in its wired and wireless internet service across the country from 11 am Monday morning. The police have embarked on an investigation on suspicion of a Distributed Denial of Service attack.

Connectivity disruptions affected from the internet access to stock trading and shop payment systems, ruining lunch businesses across the board.

Some subscribers were unable to call the company’s customer center for their downtime reporting.

Most internet services normalized after midday Monday, but recovery is still delayed in some areas.

KT initially suspected a large-scale DDoS attack and immediately went into crisis management mode for a quick recovery.

It issued an apology and promised to fully cooperate with authorities in the investigation.

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