What is IPinside and why is it being called mandatory spyware in Korea?

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    • #395
      Ashurohilla
      Participant

        What exactly is IPinside and why are people calling it mandatory spyware on Korean devices? Should I be worried about it?

      • #402
        Ravi Kumar
        Keymaster

          So, here’s the scoop: IPinside (also known as the IPinside LWS Agent) is software that many South Korean websites—especially banks and government portals—require you to install. On paper, its job is to verify your real IP address so institutions can block fraud, VPNs, or proxy use. Sounds harmless, right? But in reality, it’s a whole different story.

          What IPinside Actually Does

          When installed, IPinside spins up a local web server on your computer (usually port 21300). That server doesn’t just share your IP—it grabs a ton of diagnostic data:

          -Running processes

          -Hardware specs (like drive names)

          -Network configurations

          -OS details…and who knows what else

          The worrying part? Any website that knows to ping that port can pull this data—no prompts, no approval needed. A security researcher on the Almost Secure blog put it bluntly: the app “collects way more data… and exposes this trove to any website asking politely”

          Half-Baked Security, Full-Baked Spying

          You’d hope there’s encryption or safety built in—spoiler: there isn’t. IPinside uses ancient OpenSSL 1.0.1j, which hasn’t been updated since around 2015. On top of that, its crypto logic is horrendously weak:

          -Uses 320-bit RSA (broken decades ago)

          -AES‑256 with hardcoded key + no proper initialization vector (IV = 0)

          Put bluntly, a researcher cracked the RSA key in under 3 hours with a regular laptop. That means all the so-called ‘secure data’ is easy to decrypt.

          Plus, the software has buffer overflow flaws—basic coding errors that can lead to crashes or worse .

          Korean Users Speak Up

          Here’s what a Reddit user in r/technology said about how widespread and pointless this feels:

          “So basically the mandatory app transmits all active processes, hardware information, and pretty much everything else it can find on you… And the security used by the app is a complete joke.”

          Another in r/korea adds:

          “The goal here isn’t protecting users… It’s protecting banks… Fraudsters won’t obfuscate their identities by using proxies or VPNs.”

          ⚠ Why It’s Called “Mandatory Spyware”

          Korean users have to install this stuff to access banking and government services. You can’t skip it.
          That makes it spyware—because it:

          1. Collects excessive data (way more than needed)

          2. Runs all the time in the background

          3. Offers zero user control or transparency

          4. Has weak security, making your private data vulnerable

          That’s why many call it “mandatory spyware”: you’re forced to install it—and it spies on you.

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