Hacker Group Related To North Korea Tried To Break In Emails Of South Korean Defense Panel Members

JAKARTA - A hacking group believed to be linked to North Korea has attempted to steal data from South Korean experts who work as members of an advisory panel for the defense ministry, a cybersecurity firm said on Sunday.

The method used by this hacker group is by sending emails to several members of the advisory panel earlier this September. They disguised themselves as if they were from the North Korean Ministry of Defense.

According to the Korea Times on September 12, cybersecurity firm ESTsecurity said the group sent an email informing them of a seminar related to the anniversary of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.

"A few days later, another email was sent, asking panel members to open the file attachment in an email written for the event. It had several images disguised on the attachment that appeared to be an official government document", according to ESTsecurity.

ESTsecurity said it suspects the North Korean-linked hacking organization, Thallium, was behind the attempted attack.

Hackers attach malicious files disguised as government documents to emails that can install malware on users' computers, allowing them to steal information.

But there has been no visible damage from the reported fraud, according to the cybersecurity firm.

This cyberattack is the latest in a series of recent hacking incidents, allegedly by a North Korean group. Thallium usually targets officials and journalists in the field of foreign relations and security in South Korea.

In June, North Korean hackers were allegedly involved in an attack using manipulated email addresses from South Korean government ministries to steal user information.

ESTsecurity said incidents of hacking allegedly carried out by North Korean groups had increased recently, calling on the South Korean government and private sector to remain vigilant against such attacks.

Related to a similar incident, The National Intelligence Service (NIS) or South Korea's national intelligence agency also tightened warnings about cyber threats posed by North Korean hackers.