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

A probe showed that a hacker group, known as Andariel, had stolen 1.2TB worth of technical data from dozens of South Korean entities

With North Korea expanding cyberattacks on defence contractors and pharmaceutical firms, analysts urge the South to enhance cybersecurity measures

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The stolen data amounted to 1.2TB of files – equivalent to around 230 high-definition films. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:00pm, 8 Dec 2023

In a concerning turn of events, North Korea appears to be expanding its cyberattacks from phishing heists and ransoms to pilfering defence technology to help fund its weapons programmes in the face of tough sanctions, experts warn.

The cyber warfare tactics employed by the North underscored the critical need for South Korea to enhance cybersecurity measures as cooperation with other countries including China to identify responsible parties was difficult to achieve, they said.

A joint investigation by South Korean police and the US FBI found that a hacker group from the North, known as Andariel, had stolen technical data from dozens of South Korean defence contractors, pharmaceutical companies, financial firms and technical institutes, as well as research centres and universities.

“We’ve found, through cooperation with the FBI, that the North Korean hacking organisation Andariel hacked many domestic companies,” the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Security Investigation Support Division said on Monday.

The stolen data amounted to 1.2 terabytes (TB) of files – equivalent to around 230 high-definition films. This includes technology on advanced laser anti-aircraft weapons and their development plans, police said.

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

A probe showed that a hacker group, known as Andariel, had stolen 1.2TB worth of technical data from dozens of South Korean entities With North Korea expanding cyberattacks on defence contractors and pharmaceutical firms, analysts urge the South to enhance cybersecurity measures

A probe showed that a hacker group, known as Andariel, had stolen 1.2TB worth of technical data from dozens of South Korean entities

With North Korea expanding cyberattacks on defence contractors and pharmaceutical firms, analysts urge the South to enhance cybersecurity measures