How sophisticated are North Korean cyber-threat groups?Īlong with state-sponsored Russian, Chinese, and Iranian threat actors, North Korean advanced persistent threat (APT) groups are considered to be among the world’s most sophisticated. This threat extends beyond the notorious Lazarus Group, a crew of cybercriminals blamed for the destructive attack on Sony Pictures in 2014 and the audacious $81 million cyber-heist of reserves held by the Central Bank of Bangladesh in 2016, among other attacks. Threat intel experts polled by The Daily Swig said that the tactics and tradecraft of attackers deployed by North Korea have evolved to elevate the country to a top-tier cyber-adversary. Over recent years, the North Korea has evolved from a nuisance to its neighbor and rival South Korea and purveyor of ransomware and DDoS attacks to become the scourge of banks and cryptocurrency exchanges. That is why until 2011, the Lazarus Group still attacked South Korean government sites and infrastructure.How do you solve a problem like North Korea?Ĭrippled by economic sanctions and isolated from the rest of the world bar China, North Korea is increasingly relying on cybercrime to keep its economy running. But when Kim Jong-il died in 2011, Kim Jong-un changed policies, and now hackers placed most of their efforts on robbing banks and creating ransomware viruses. Initially, North Korea's hacker army (as the group is sometimes referred to) mainly did disruptive operations against enemies of the state. There are many ways that Kim Jong-un generates income from abroad for example, he leases North Koreans as cheap labor, sends doctors and military advisors abroad for a price, sells weapons, and uses hackers to steal money. This helps North Korea gain foreign currency to support its military and weapons of mass destruction research and development and, in a way, strengthen its currency and economy. While Kim Jong-il (the father of the current leader, Kim Jong-un) focused on holding the world for ransom through attacks and threats to acquire international aid and ease sanctions, his son preferred to re-direct the North Korean military and population to generate income from abroad. The attacks were launched in retaliation for the release of the film "The Interview," which portrays Kim Jong-un in a silly manner.ĭue to famines, sanctions, and failed economic policies, North Korea's currency has consistently dropped during the last decades. For a time, this attack was considered one of the largest in the history of cybercrime.ĭuring the attack, the Lazarus Group stole confidential information from the company, exposed confidential correspondence between levels of direction, production, and acting, and even leaked unreleased movies. The infamous attack on Sony Pictures came in 2014, which brought the group to the world stage. Critical infrastructure has always been a favorite target for hackers due to its importance to everyday activities. In March 2011, the group launched "Ten Days of Rain," which turned out to be a more sophisticated DDoS attack that targeted media, financial and critical infrastructure in South Korea. These two attacks were basic in complexity the group took down South Korean government websites by flooding their servers with requests. Then "Operation Troy" followed, which happened between 20. Its first attack was known as "Operation Flame." It was carried out in 2007 and used first-generation malware against the South Korean government.
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