In a coordinated effort, officials from the United States, Britain and South Korea issued a joint statement disclosing that North Korean hackers have been systematically infiltrating and stealing sensitive military secrets. According to the statement, North Korean-affiliated hackers have successfully breached several critical U.S. agencies.
Among the affected entities are Air Force bases in Texas and Georgia, NASA, the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. The cyberattack on NASA alone granted adversaries access to approximately 17 gigabytes of classified data.
The hacking group, which the U.S. identified as having connections to the North Korean government, is believed to be engaged in a years-long operation targeting a broad spectrum of military and defense-related information. This includes designs for tanks, rockets, submarines, fighter jets and missiles. The data is suspected to be used to bolster North Korea’s military capabilities and nuclear programs, according to the statement.
In addition to pilfering sensitive military information, the hackers have also been exploiting ransomware tactics to generate illicit revenue.
Notable among their attacks was a ransomware incident targeting a hospital system in Kansas several years ago. The Justice Department linked the attack and other cyber activities to a known North Korean hacker named Rim Jong Hyok.
A warrant has been issued for Hyok’s arrest, but he is currently believed to be residing in North Korea, complicating efforts to apprehend him.
To counter this cyber threat, a dedicated task force is working to neutralize the hackers behind these attacks. The FBI has made notable progress in this effort, seizing an undisclosed number of online accounts associated with the hacking group. Additionally, the FBI has recovered over half a million dollars in virtual currency, which will be returned to victims impacted by the ransomware attacks.
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