N. Korea hackers steal military secrets, hit Air Force bases, NASA, US says

Jul 26, 2024

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Ian Kennedy (Lead Video Editor)

In a coordinated effort, officials from the United States, Britain and South Korea issued a joint statement disclosing that North Korean hackers have been systematically infiltrating and stealing sensitive military secrets. According to the statement, North Korean-affiliated hackers have successfully breached several critical U.S. agencies.

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Among the affected entities are Air Force bases in Texas and Georgia, NASA, the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. The cyberattack on NASA alone granted adversaries access to approximately 17 gigabytes of classified data.

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The hacking group, which the U.S. identified as having connections to the North Korean government, is believed to be engaged in a years-long operation targeting a broad spectrum of military and defense-related information. This includes designs for tanks, rockets, submarines, fighter jets and missiles. The data is suspected to be used to bolster North Korea’s military capabilities and nuclear programs, according to the statement.

In addition to pilfering sensitive military information, the hackers have also been exploiting ransomware tactics to generate illicit revenue.

Notable among their attacks was a ransomware incident targeting a hospital system in Kansas several years ago. The Justice Department linked the attack and other cyber activities to a known North Korean hacker named Rim Jong Hyok.

A warrant has been issued for Hyok’s arrest, but he is currently believed to be residing in North Korea, complicating efforts to apprehend him.

To counter this cyber threat, a dedicated task force is working to neutralize the hackers behind these attacks. The FBI has made notable progress in this effort, seizing an undisclosed number of online accounts associated with the hacking group. Additionally, the FBI has recovered over half a million dollars in virtual currency, which will be returned to victims impacted by the ransomware attacks.

Tags: Military Defense, NASA, National Security, North Korea, South Korea, U.S. military

NORTH KOREAN HACKERS ARE SUCCESSFULLY STEALING MILITARY SECRETS –

THAT’S ACCORDING TO A JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE UNITED STATES, BRITAIN, AND SOUTH KOREA.

OFFICIALS SAY SOME OF THE AGENCIES IMPACTED IN THE U.S. –

INCLUDE AIR FORCE BASES IN TEXAS AND GEORGIA.

NASA. THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND FBI.

THE NASA HACK ALONE ALLOWED ADVERSARIES ACCESS TO 17 GIGABYTES OF DATA.

THE GROUP THE U.S. SAYS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A YEARS-LONG HACKING MISSION –

HAS TIES TO NORTH KOREA’S GOVERNMENT.

IMPACTED NATIONS LIKE THE U.S. AND JAPAN –

BELIEVE THESE HACKERS ARE STEALING THE DATA TO HELP STRENGTHEN THEIR OWN MILITARY AND WEAPONS SYSTEMS – INCLUDING THEIR LONG-SOUGHT AFTER NUCLEAR PROGRAMS.

SOME OF THE SYSTEMS THEY SEEM TO BE TARGETING INVOLVE THE DESIGNS OF TANKS, ROCKETS, SUBMARINES, FIGHTER JETS, AND MISSILES.

NOT ONLY ARE THEY STEALING VALUABLE INFORMATION –

BUT THEY’RE ALSO MAKING MONEY OFF RANDOM RANSOMWARE ATTACKS ON U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE.

LIKE THE HACK A FEW YEARS AGO ON A HOSPITAL SYSTEM IN KANSAS.

THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT BELIEVES THEY KNOW WHO WAS BEHIND THAT SPECIFIC ATTACK AND POTENTIALLY OTHER GREATER HACKING ACTIVITIES.

HIS NAME IS “JIM JONG HYOK”.

THERE IS A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST – BUT HE IS BELIEVED TO BE **IN NORTH KOREA.

AS FOR WHAT’S BEING DONE ABOUT IT?

THERE IS A TASK FORCE SLOWLY CHIPPING AWAY AT UNCOVERING THE HACKERS.

THE FBI HAS SEIZED AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF ONLINE ACCOUNTS BELONGING TO THE HACKING GROUP – AND HAS RECOVERED MORE THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN “VIRTUAL CURRENCY” THAT WILL BE RETURNED TO VICTIMS OF THEIR RANSOMWARE ATTACKS.

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