A joint maneuver between the United States and South Korea could have been endangered. According to Seoul, which transmitted the information by press release this Sunday, August 20, North Korean hackers would have tried to carry out an attack against South Korean personnel working on the next joint military exercises of the two countries.
The hackers, suspected of being affiliated with the North Korean group “Kimsuky”, carried out “malicious e-mail attacks” against staff at the Seoul and Washington simulation center, police said. South Korea and the United States are due to launch “Ulchi Freedom Shield” joint military exercises on Monday, which are supposed to last until August 31. Their goal is to improve their ability to respond to North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. According to Reuters, North Korea opposes such exercisesclaiming that it is preparations by the United States and its South Korean ally for an invasion.
A joint investigation by South Korean police and the US military has traced the IP address used by the hackers and matched it to an IP identified in 2014 during the hacking of the operator. a nuclear reactor in South Korea. “The police investigation confirms that a group of North Korean hackers is responsible for the attack,” police said, adding that no military data had been stolen. The computer attack had already been attributed to “Kimsuky” at the time.
“Global Intelligence Missions”
This group uses phishing – a technique to send booby-trapped attachments to seemingly harmless emails – to steal information from its victims. According to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, “Kimsuky” is “probably tasked by the North Korean regime with global intelligence missions”.
The group, which appears to have been active since 2012, targets individuals and organizations in South Korea, Japan and the United States. It focuses on foreign policy and national security issues related to the Korean Peninsula, nuclear policy and international sanctions, said the US federal agency, whose intelligence dates back to 2020.