Who escaped from North Korea told Reuters about the hacker division in the secret service of the country
In the intelligence service of the DPRK has a Department that specializiruetsya to hacker attacks, Reuters reports with reference to the fleeing man. Alleged hackers from the DPRK carried out the attack from a third country.
The main intelligence Agency of North Korea has in its subordination the Department called Unit 180, which specializiruetsya on cyber attacks.
About it reports Reuters with a reference to former North Koreans who had fled the country.
One of the interlocutors of the newspaper, lecturer of computer science Kim Heung Kwang, fled the country in 2004, but, according to him, he still “has the sources [of information] in North Korea”.
“Department 180 is engaged in hacking attacks on financial institutions for withdrawal of money from Bank accounts,” Kim told Reuters. According to him, some of his former students joined the strategic units of the DPRK, constituting a “cyber army” of the country.
He noted that North Korean hackers “leave the country to have the best access to the Internet, and in order not to leave traces”.
In particular, they can leave the DPRK under the guise of employees of trade companies or branches of North Korean companies, the Agency said.
The foreign Ministry of South Korea on the request by Reuters for comment, said that the DPRK “conducts cyberattacks through third countries to disguise the origin of attacks”. The North Korean hackers use networks and technology in these countries.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that Federal prosecutors are waiting for the US to accuse North Korea in the leadership of the operation for stealing $81 million from the account of the Central Bank of Bangladesh at the Federal reserve Bank of new York (FRB) in February 2016.
According to the newspaper, the US plans to blame the attack alleged Chinese intermediaries, which have helped North Korea in stealing the funds. Thus, according to the interlocutor of the newspaper, the authorities will not be able to bring charges directly to North Korean officials, however, the DPRK may be a defendant in this case.