On the 17th (local time), two unusual briefings were held in the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice has disclosed the indictment of three hackers from the North Korean Reconnaissance Office who are allegedly involved in hacking crimes that steal more than $1.3 billion in cash and online virtual currency. On the same day, at the White House, the results and countermeasures of the investigation into the hacking of’Solarwinds’ in Russia, where nine federal agencies were hacked, were announced. This is interpreted as a signal to the active cybersecurity policy promotion of the Joe Biden administration.
US Ministry of Justice criticizes “North Korea regime hacking criminal organization”
According to a complaint and press release released by the US Department of Justice on the day, North Korean hacker Park Jin-hyuk (36) Jeon Chang-hyuk (31) Kim Il (27), who was prosecuted in December last year, has been using the International Financial Computing Network (SWIFT) used by banks in each country for five years since 2015. I hacked it. They are accused of stealing more than $1.2 billion after breaking into banks in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Mexico, Malta, and Africa.
The list of three hackers from the North Korean Reconnaissance Office released on the 17th by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI Yonhap News
They also pulled more than 100 million dollars from cryptocurrency companies and banks in Slovenia, Indonesia and the United States from 2017 to August last year. It is also related to the’Wanna Cry’ malware attack that hit the world in May 2017, the US Department of Justice said. In particular, in the case of Park Jin-hyuk, he was already prosecuted in 2018 for hacking into the US film company Sony Pictures in 2014, which produced the comedy film “Interview,” a caricature of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The US Department of Justice specifically stated that “this crime was the conduct of the North Korean military intelligence agency, the Reconnaissance Office.” He also said, “The (North Korea) regime is a criminal organization that stole hundreds of millions of dollars by using state resources.” Deputy Minister of National Security at Justice John Demus accused North Korean agents of stealing cryptocurrency digital wallets using keyboards instead of guns as the world’s largest bank robbers. He also urged the attention of each country, saying, “North Korea’s malicious actions are a global problem.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is giving a commemorative speech on October 10 last year to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Labor Party (pictured left). US President Joe Biden was confident of victory while watching the results of the counting in Wilmington, Delaware on November 4, last year. Pyongyang = Labor News, Washington = AFP Yonhap News
It is also of interest that the Biden administration made full disclosure of the case two months ago, which was already prosecuted during the Donald Trump administration. This issue is likely to adversely affect US-US relations.
White House “Russian Hacking US Government” Nailed
At the White House, Ann Newberger, assistant national security adviser in charge of cyber and emerging technologies, appeared in person. This was to announce the interim results of the hacking investigation confirmed in December of last year. He said at a briefing that it was likely to be a Russian hacker.
The incident started when hackers hacked into the network surveillance software company SolarWinds in March and June of last year. It was a way to infiltrate the computer network of more than 18,000 customers by injecting a malicious program into a patch that updates the company’s software Orion. In this way, federal agencies such as the State Affairs, Finance, Commerce, and Homeland Security and private companies such as Microsoft and Intel were affected. “To date, nine federal agencies and about 100 private companies have been affected,” Newberger said. He also announced plans for cyber security policy establishment and future hacking investigations, saying that additional damage is expected.
Ann Newberger, US White House Cyber and Emerging Technology Assistant National Security Adviser, speaks at the White House briefing room on the hacking of’Solar Winds’ Washington = AP Yonhap News
The Biden administration’s discovery of the North Korean and Russian hacking incidents is interpreted as showing its willingness to strengthen cybersecurity. In a report published on the 16th, the National Security Strategy Research Institute predicted that “the Biden government is expected to promote active and practical attack-oriented policies in cybersecurity against Russia and China.” “I think that the failure to prevent China from theft of US technology and intellectual property has weakened US technological competitiveness. Russia’s Solarwinds attack and election intervention through fake news damaged US democratic values and suffered enormous economic damage. Because”.
Washington= Jeong Won Correspondent [email protected]
Heo Gyeongju reporter [email protected]
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