KakaoTalk

AppWizard
December 10, 2024
New installations of Telegram in South Korea surged to 40,576 on the day President Yoon Suk Yeol announced martial law, significantly up from 9,016 the previous day. From Tuesday to Friday of last week, Telegram became the most downloaded mobile messenger in the country, rising from its previous position as the fourth most downloaded app. This increase is attributed to concerns about potential media censorship and the shutdown of domestic apps like KakaoTalk. Following the brief martial law, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun was questioned as part of a treason investigation and later resigned, presenting himself to prosecutors, who then took him into custody under emergency arrest provisions.
AppWizard
October 22, 2024
Kakao has introduced an AI-integrated messenger app named Kanana at its annual developer conference in Yongin, Gyeonggi. Kanana enhances user experience by summarizing messages, managing schedules, and recommending entertainment based on chat history. The app features two AI characters: Nana for personal use, who can manage appointments and summarize texts, and Kana for group interactions, creating quizzes and summarizing past conversations. Users can set the AI's voice to that of K-pop artists. Kanana is currently in internal testing, with a beta release planned for Kakao employees later this year. Kakao aims to expand its AI product offerings under the Kanana brand, amidst challenges including regulatory issues and competition from Naver. A new AI division named Kanana has been formed, integrating AI R&D personnel from the former Kakao Brain.
Winsage
October 16, 2024
ScarCruft, a North Korean cyber group, exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Windows, identified as CVE-2024-38178, which has a CVSS score of 7.5 and is a memory corruption issue in the Scripting Engine. This vulnerability allows for remote code execution when users interact with the Edge browser in Internet Explorer Mode. Attackers entice users to click on a malicious URL to execute code. Microsoft patched this flaw in August 2024. The attack, dubbed "Operation Code on Toast," involved compromising a domestic advertising agency's server to inject exploit code into toast advertisement programs, which are pop-up notifications in South Korea. The exploitation led to a type confusion error in the JavaScript Engine of Internet Explorer, allowing the attackers to infect PCs with the vulnerable toast program. The malware associated with this attack, RokRAT, has advanced capabilities and uses legitimate cloud services for command-and-control operations. ScarCruft has a history of exploiting vulnerabilities in legacy browsers and has previously targeted other vulnerabilities in the Scripting Engine. Users are advised to keep their systems updated to mitigate risks.
AppWizard
October 10, 2024
Samsung is planning to integrate support for the Dual Messenger feature into its One Hand Operation app in future updates, addressing user feedback regarding difficulties in managing multiple accounts on applications like KakaoTalk. Currently, users experience issues when trying to switch between accounts using gestures, as the app does not support launching the Dual Messenger version, leading to complications in account management. A Samsung community moderator has acknowledged these limitations and confirmed that the current version lacks Dual Messenger functionality. The development team is exploring the addition of this support, but no specific timeline for the update has been provided. Users are looking forward to enhancements that will improve the integration of these features for a better messaging experience.
AppWizard
September 27, 2024
As of December 2023, the most popular mobile messaging apps in South Korea are: 1. KakaoTalk - Leading app with a user-friendly interface and extensive features for personal and business interactions, including integration with services like banking and gaming. 2. LINE - Popular among younger users, known for its vibrant stickers and community engagement. 3. WhatsApp - Despite being globally dominant, it has a dedicated user base in South Korea, valued for its focus on privacy and security. 4. Telegram - Favored for its enhanced privacy features and group functionalities, including robust encryption and large channel creation capabilities.
AppWizard
September 20, 2024
On September 20, Kakao Corp. experienced a service disruption on its messaging platform, KakaoTalk, lasting approximately six minutes from 9:24 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Users reported difficulties in sending and receiving messages, but functionality was restored quickly. This incident follows a notable 90-minute disruption in July. KakaoTalk has around 45 million monthly active users in South Korea.
AppWizard
August 19, 2024
Kakao has reduced its number of affiliates from 144 to 123 over the past year, divesting from noncore assets, including sectors like beauty reservations and golf rental services. The company has removed Wyatt, the operator of Kakao Hair Shop, from its affiliate roster after divesting a 38.9 percent stake in May. Kakao VX has also withdrawn from segments such as golf equipment, healthcare platforms, and non-fungible tokens to focus on the Kakao Friends Golf brand. Other divested affiliates include Awins, Beacon Holdings, and Xtriple. CEO Chung Shin-a stated that KakaoTalk and AI are the core drivers of future growth. The company faces regulatory scrutiny following the indictment of founder Kim Beom-su for stock manipulation and concerns regarding Kakao Pay leaking customer information to Alipay.
AppWizard
June 27, 2024
The vulnerability in KakaoTalk allows attackers to leak user access tokens via the Authorization header, which can be used to take over the victim's Kakao mail account. Additionally, attackers can create new Kakao Mail accounts and access chat messages, with the ability to overwrite the user's previously registered mail address.
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