US, Allies Say NKorea's Hackers Trying to Steal Military Secrets

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Facts

  • In a joint advisory published on Thursday, the US, the UK, and South Korea warned that a group of North Korean hackers — dubbed Andariel — have been trying to steal classified military secrets to support Pyongyang's nuclear programs.[1]
  • According to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, Andariel's alleged hostile cyber activities 'pose an ongoing threat to critical infrastructure' organizations as well as sensitive and intellectual property data worldwide.[2]
  • The FBI has advised defense, aerospace, nuclear, and engineering firms 'to remain vigilant,' claiming Andariel — the alleged arm of Pyongyang's spy agency — exploited software vulnerabilities to carry out cyberattacks to access classified information.[3]
  • Reportedly conducted under the North's Reconnaissance General Bureau, Andariel's espionage campaign has already targeted NASA and US air force bases and has attempted to obtain confidential material on topics including uranium processing and submarines.[4]
  • This comes after the US State Department announced a reward of up to $10M for information on Rim Jong Hyok, a North Korean citizen said to be associated with Andariel, accusing him of targeting America's national security assets — including nuclear secrets.[5]
  • According to North Korean state media, the North is developing capabilities to boost its nuclear arsenal in 2024 to prepare for what its leader Kim Jong Un called an inevitable war, reportedly with the US and South Korea. Pyongyang hasn't tested a nuclear weapon since 2017.[6]

Sources: [1]South China Morning Post, [2]Evening Standard, [3]Dw.Com, [4]BBC News, [5]The Telegraph and [6]Abc.

Narratives

  • Pro-North Korea narrative, as provided by XINHUA. The US and its allies have no credible evidence to link the so-called 'high-profile' cyber incidents to Pyongyang. This advisory is laughable at best. On the one hand, the West describes the North as an archaic country and has subjected it to all kinds of sanctions. On the other hand, it's so afraid of North Korean intelligence services that it had to issue a global public alert. Moreover, while the US and its allies criticize Pyongyang for cyberattacks, they conveniently escape accountability for their massive espionage and cyber activities on foreign soil.
  • Anti-North Korea Narrative, as provided by Firstpost. The lengths that North Korean state-sponsored cybercriminals are willing to go to advance Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions are significant. They aren't just infiltrating defense, industries, financial networks, and medical facilities globally, they remain an ongoing threat to citizens' everyday lives. The North's aggressive military posture to circumvent international sanctions and fund its nuclear program now poses a serious risk to global security, which is why the world must heed the warning issued by the intelligence agencies.

Predictions