A hacker threw his Macbook into the river trying to avoid being caught. Of course, they caught him

Coupang, the South Korean e-commerce giant, has faced a serious data breach affecting 33.7 million customers, compromising sensitive information such as names, addresses, and phone numbers. The situation unfolded in late November when the company announced that hackers had accessed its users’ data. Since December 1, Coupang has been operating under government supervision to coordinate the investigation of the attack, receiving official guidelines at each stage of the process.

Wow, into the water!

In a remarkable turn of events, Coupang’s forensic team recovered a MacBook Air that the hacker had thrown into the river, a desperate act to hide the evidence of his crime. This recovery, carried out within a documented chain of custody, highlights the effectiveness of the collaboration between Coupang and the authorities in the pursuit of justice.

The interim CEO, Harold Rogers, committed to transforming the company into a customer-centric entity in order to restore public trust. To mitigate the consequences of the breach, Coupang has announced a compensation package of 1.685 trillion won (1.2 billion dollars), which will include discount coupons and refunds to affected users. Starting January 15, text messages will be sent to beneficiaries with details about the coupons they can use in various categories of products and services.

Despite these actions, the company has faced criticism for its initial response and lack of communication during the investigation process. Cybersecurity experts have described the recovery of the MacBook as a victory against data destruction tactics, but questions remain about how to prevent future breaches. The story of Coupang underscores the risks in the supply chain in large-scale e-commerce, where an internal breach can have massive repercussions.