N. Korea may be stepping up cyber attacks against South
Of the 1.5 million forays a day, many were attempts to steal money, say sources
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A photo from the Korean Central News Agency showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Workers' Party congress in Pyongyang on Jan 14. The country is believed to have a shortage of foreign currency due to border closures and economic sanctions, and some South Korean experts say the North is carrying out cyber attacks to offset financial difficulties.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL • North Korea is suspected to have launched an average of 1.5 million cyber attacks a day last year against the South Korean public sector, including financial and infrastructure systems, according to sources close to the South Korean government.
The number of strikes has increased dramatically compared with the number from four years ago, and many were performed in attempts to steal money, the sources said.
As Pyongyang is believed to be suffering a shortage of foreign currency due to border closures - which are one of the measures in place to protect against the coronavirus pandemic - as well as prolonged economic sanctions imposed on the country, some South Korean experts say the attacks were carried out to offset financial difficulties.
Cyber attacks made on the public sector numbered an average of 410,000 a day in 2016, but the figure increased by about four times to 1.62 million last year, according to a report by South Korea's National Intelligence Service that was submitted to the National Assembly last November.
About 40 per cent of the forays were hacks, in attempts to attack financial institutions and to steal crypto assets, or virtual currencies.
According to the sources, 90 per cent to 95 per cent of the cyber attacks targeting South Korea last year - or an average of 1.5 million attacks a day - are believed to have been launched by North Korea. Most were made after being routed through other countries.
North Korea in the past executed cyber attacks to steal information or crash infrastructure systems. However, the main purpose has shifted to stealing money in recent years.
Pyongyang is suspected to have been connected with a case involving Bangladesh Bank in which about US$80 million (S$106 million) was stolen in 2016.
North Korea is also accused of being behind the WannaCry computer virus attacks in 2017 that demanded banks around the world, including Japanese and United States institutions, pay ransoms.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a warning last August that a group of hackers affiliated with the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea's foreign intelligence service, had resumed cyber attacks against financial institutions in various countries since February last year.
According to a report by Slovak cyber-security firm ESET that was released last November, another group of North Korean hackers has launched a new round of attacks exploiting South Korean security software programs.
The offensives are said to reflect North Korea's attempts to step up theft attacks as the country suffers financially amid the pandemic.
"North Korea is currently in a situation in which it can obtain foreign currency only through illegal means such as hacking," said Professor Yoo Ho-yeol of Korea University, who specialises in North Korean studies.
THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
