Editor’s Note: Kuksung Nam joined The Readable in May 2022 as a journalist, covering a wide range of cybersecurity topics over the past 26 months. As she embarks on a new career path and leaves the journalism industry, her dedication to the field will be remembered by our team and the readers who have benefited from her insightful reporting. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and, on behalf of our team, I extend our heartfelt gratitude for her exceptional contributions to cybersecurity journalism.
Two years ago, during one of our weekly meetings, Dain Oh, editor-in-chief of The Readable, asked if I was familiar with the term “FUD.” At the time, I had no idea what it meant and even imagined it might refer to a foreign intelligence agency or one of the notorious hacking groups I had heard about. Dain explained that “FUD” stands for “Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.” She described how these three words represent a tactic used in the cybersecurity industry, where negative emotions are leveraged to persuade people to purchase products designed to protect against potential cyberattacks.
After deciding to conclude my journey at The Readable, that memory naturally resurfaced. Over the past two years of reporting on cybersecurity issues, I gradually came to grasp the full weight of the editor-in-chief’s words. It became clear that Dain was not just highlighting the marketing strategy to a junior reporter like me, who had recently entered the cybersecurity field. She was underscoring the potential consequences for the public when FUD spreads through media outlets that merely echo these claims without proper fact-checking.
For example, in March 2023, the National Tax Service (NTS) was thrust into the spotlight as a victim of the LockBit ransomware group. On the hacking group’s dark web leak site, the NTS appeared with a digital clock counting down to April 1. Although the clock’s bright red color changed to vivid green, indicating that the deadline had passed, the purportedly stolen data was never released. The NTS spokesperson confirmed that taxpayer information had not been compromised. About three weeks after the incident, one of the country’s largest cybersecurity firms suggested that the whole affair might have been an April Fool’s prank.
The Readable published three articles on the incident. The first, on March 30, reported that hackers claimed to have breached South Korea’s tax agency. The subsequent report revealed that there was no impact on taxpayer records and suggested that the incident might have been an April Fool’s prank. Given the ambiguous nature of the cyber ecosystem, it was nearly impossible for the reporter to verify the authenticity of the data breach within a limited timeframe. Reporters often must rely on statements from authorities or experts until the truth emerges. However, a single choice of words in a news article can easily lead to confusion, quickly spreading through the media and sowing fear, uncertainty, and doubt among the public.
Understanding the importance of this issue was not the end; indeed, it was just the beginning. From that moment, the challenge for the reporter became clear: to strive for accuracy in delivering the news by undergoing one more fact-checking process before publishing. It also meant recalling past events and continuing to follow the incident through to its resolution, whether that be through the results of a police investigation, a court ruling, or changes in the country’s laws.
Frankly, despite having published over 200 articles, I have yet to cover a story that directly addresses the negative marketing strategy of FUD or fully exposes its mechanism to the public. Nevertheless, I made every effort to consider the impact of the three words—fear, uncertainty, and doubt—before writing each article I penned, dedicating all the time I could to delivering reliable and trustworthy news to our readers.
As my journey as a reporter comes to an end—transitioning from a local journalist to working at the only English-language cybersecurity news organization in South Korea—I am moving into a hopeful new future. I sincerely hope that my articles will inspire journalists who continue to combat FUD. This ongoing battle is against what may be among the modern world’s most powerful adversaries: fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
