The National Tax Service (NTS) in Korea has taken responsibility for a data breach involving cryptocurrency information belonging to tax delinquents. The incident occurred when an NTS staff member inadvertently shared sensitive images with the media during a briefing on December 26.
According to the NTS, the leaked images contained the 'mnemonic code,' which serves as a master key to access the wallets. Although the initial press release had photos where the code was not identifiable, the staff member later provided original images without realizing they contained sensitive information.
The NTS has confirmed that some of the cryptocurrency in the exposed wallets has been transferred out and is being tracked using their cryptocurrency tracking program. The agency has pledged to conduct an external review of its overall security system and strengthen internal controls to prevent similar incidents in the future.