North Korean Hackers Allegedly Suspicious Data On Defense Technology Information, Including Laser Anti-Aircraft

Illustration. (Unsplash / Irvan Smith)

JAKARTA - South Korean police are investigating allegations of whether North Korean hacker groups, accused of stealing data from 14 entities, acquired information about defense technology, including anti-aircraft lasers, a Seoul city police official said on Wednesday.

The investigation, jointly carried out with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is trying to find out the extent of the data obtained by the group known as Andariel, said Jeong Jin-ho, who heads the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency investigative team investigating the case to Reuters.

Local media reported this week that the data cache includes South Korea's main defense secrets.

The entities targeted include South Korean defense companies, research institutes and pharmaceutical companies, according to previous police statements. About 250 files, or 1.2 terabytes of information and data, were taken by hackers, he said.

The proxy server created by the group was accessed from a district in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, 83 times between last December and March, police said.

The server is used to access company and institutional websites, with the group utilizing South Korean hosting services that lease servers to unknown clients.

The group also extorted 470 million won of bitcoins (357,866 US dollars) from three South Korean and foreign companies in a ransomware attack, police said.

The US Treasury Department in 2019 listed Andariel as a North Korea state sponsored hacking group, which focuses on conducting malicious cyber operations against foreign businesses, government agencies, and the defense industry.

North Korean hackers have been blamed for cyberattacks that make millions of dollars, although Pyongyang has previously denied involvement in cybercrimes.

A foreign woman is being investigated in connection with a ransomware attack after several bitcoins were transferred through her bank account and withdrawn at a bank in China, police said. He denies any wrongdoing.