North Korea 2019: The world’s biggest cyber threat?
Photograph: YONHAP/AFP/Getty Images
The biggest cyber threats to the United States and Western nations are Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. What’s special about North Korea, however, is that their hacking is entirely government sponsored. North Koreans do not have internet access, save for elites, so ordinary citizens can’t become hackers like in other countries. Instead, North Korean hackers are hand-picked from state universities and are trained through real-world trials (not just practice problems and simulations), allowing them to quickly become world-class hackers. These hackers form specialized units such as Bureau 121 or the Lazarus Group.
For North Korea, cyber warfare has become an incredibly effective way to inflict pain on Western nations. Perhaps you might remember the infamous Sony Pictures hack that led to the cancellation of the theatrical release of The Interview. Or the WannaCry ransomware attacks that disabled computers, and caused the NHS to turn away patients and reschedule critical surgeries. Even more, due to its intangible nature, NK’s cyber attacks have received little public attention and almost no punishment relative to reactions to its nuclear program, and continue even as Washington - Pyongyang talks take place.
Cyberwarfare can also be very profitable, which is extremely important for a country whose economy has been so crippled by international sanctions. For some examples, take a look at these two articles:
The attacks are often conducted from locations outside disconnected North Korea, such as Singapore and Thailand, which can make it difficult to immediately connect attacks to North Korea. Pyongyang has vehemently denied any claims that they are sponsoring these attacks. However, circumstantial evidence such as the use of Korean words used only in the North, and the use of data servers commonly associated with Pyongyang are telltale signs.
In committee, while most of your attention may be focused on the nuclear threat, don’t forget about other NK’s other aggressions, including cyber warfare. For more information about the history of NK’s cyberarmy, and how it is quickly growing to become the world’s greatest threat, take a look at this WSJ article.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-north-koreas-hackers-became-dangerously-good-1524150416
As always, if you have any comments, please post them below!
As always, if you have any comments, please post them below!
Wow, I did not know how significant North Korea's cyber powers, especially compared to its nuclear arsenal. Thank you for this post, it's a good point to take into account when crafting an agreement in committee.
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