‘Alarming’: North Korea’s hackers target South’s defence technology to fund weapons programme

In a disturbing development, North Korea seems to be broadening its cyberattacks from simple online thefts and ransom demands to stealing defence technology. This is a strategy to fund its weapons programmes, despite the stringent sanctions imposed on it, warn experts. The cyber warfare tactics used by North Korea highlight the urgent need for South Korea to bolster its cybersecurity measures. However, cooperation with other nations, including China, to identify the culprits is proving to be a challenge.

A joint investigation by the South Korean police and the US FBI revealed that a North Korean hacker group, known as Andariel, had pilfered technical data from a wide range of South Korean entities. These include defence contractors, pharmaceutical companies, financial firms, technical institutes, research centres, and universities. The stolen data, amounting to 1. 2 terabytes (TB) of files, includes technology on advanced laser anti-aircraft weapons and their development plans.

The audacity of North Korea's hacking attacks is alarming, as they are increasingly targeting lucrative technology and sensitive defence technology. Lee Il-woo, a member of the Korea Defence Network think tank, stated that laser anti-aircraft weapons are being developed by South Korea's military to counter North Korean drones. He suspects that there have been many more unnoticed or unreported hacking attempts into defence industries by North Korea.