North Korea’s army of cyber hackers could be an even greater threat than their nuclear ambitions, experts warn
Stalinist state has an army of 6,000 hackers that target banks and infrastructure
They have also been blamed for hacks on secret South Korean military plans
Now experts have warned state’s cyber army could be more lethal than its nukes
There are also fears it could hack the Winter Olympics in South Korea next year
By IAIN BURNS
DAILYMAIL.COM
20 December 2017
North Korea has developed a sophisticated army of hackers that could cause enormous damage to foreign militaries, steal huge amounts of cash from banks or cripple essential infrastructure.
Technology experts have also warned that the Stalinist autocracy’s cyber army is doubly lethal because there is little chance to hit back against it given its lack of connectivity.
While the dictatorship’s high-profile missile and nuclear programmes grab the headlines, North Korea watchers have warned its legion of 6,000 hackers could be far more dangerous to global security.
Bryce Boland, chief technology officer for Asia Pacific at cybersecurity company FireEye, told The Telegraph: ‘They are quite capable of conducting operations that could cause significant disruption to many organisations.’
He also said the state will probably increase its digital espionage to prepare for a possible war, adding: ‘We’ve already seen attempts by North Korea to gain access to some of the critical infrastructure in North America in recent months.’
It comes as both the British and American governments publicly named a shadowy North Korea cyber crime group for the WannaCry ransomware attack which crippled parts of the NHS.
The Foreign Office said the National Cyber Security Centre had assessed that it was ‘highly likely’ the attack in May was the work of cyber criminals known as the Lazarus Group.
Security minister Ben Wallace has previously said the Government believed ‘quite strongly’ that a foreign state was behind the attack, naming North Korea as the main suspects.
In the latest statement, Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said: ‘The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre assesses it is highly likely that North Korean actors known as the Lazarus Group were behind the WannaCry ransomware campaign – one of the most significant to hit the UK in terms of scale and disruption.
‘We condemn these actions and commit ourselves to working with all responsible states to combat destructive criminal use of cyber space.
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