Coupang Data Breach: 33M Accounts Accessed by Ex-Employee, Company Claims No External Leak

A data breach at Coupang gave a former employee access to 33 million customer accounts, but the e-commerce giant insists the damage was contained to just 3,000 saved records—with none leaked externally. The incident highlights the growing threat of insider attacks in the tech industry.

What Happened: A Breach from Within

In a press release on Thursday, December 25, Coupang stated it has identified the former employee suspected of the breach and has recovered all stored information. According to Yonhap, the individual used stolen security keys to access basic customer information from approximately 33 million accounts.

However, the company claims that the actual count of accounts with data saved by the individual was only about 3,000. Coupang added that the ex-employee deleted all stored information after becoming aware of media reports. An internal investigation reportedly found no evidence that any customer data was shared with or transmitted to third parties.

Scrutiny Mounts as Government Investigates

Despite Coupang's assurances, the incident is drawing serious government attention. South Korea's presidential office is set to hold an emergency meeting on the matter, and a government task force has been launched to probe the breach. The massive scale of the initial access, regardless of the final data count, is likely to keep the company under a microscope and fuel customer anxiety.