South Korean officials say North Korean hackers working for the government targeted at least 892 foreign policy experts in the country. Studies dating back to April revealed a focus on think tank members and academics as well.It is stated that most of the cyber attacks are done with spear phishing emails claiming to come from figures in South Korea’s political system. These emails contain links to fake sites that appear to be real. Clicking on these links opens the way for viruses to infiltrate the system from the site visited. We can say that this is a tactic that is used quite a lot at the moment, but it is extremely possible to fool people who are not vigilant or who do not know about the subject.
North Korea used ransomware for the first time
As a result of the attacks, it is reported that the personal data of experts, mailing lists (which can affect more people) and 13 companies, mostly online retailers, fell victim to ransomware. Police believe that only 49 buyers handed over their credentials to fraudulent sites, and only two companies paid a ransom of 2.5 million won ($1,980). However, the full scale of the attacks has yet to be revealed. On the other hand, it is also said that North Korea has used ransomware for the first time.However, it is not clear what information the North Korean hackers obtained. However, it is certain that this will not be the last cyber attack on its southern neighbor. Cyber warfare has been the focus of the north for many years, even as North Korea tries to deter foreign armies with more traditional means—such as nuclear weapons.
Cyber attacks have become an important source of income for North Korea, which is in a constant financial crisis. So much so that North Korean hackers are estimated to have stolen $1.72 billion worth of cryptocurrencies since 2017. More strikingly, the hackers who carried out this new attack are thought to be the group that hacked Korean Hydro and Nuclear Power in 2014.
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