July 18, 2022
Mapping Major Milestones in the Evolution of North Korea’s Cyber Program
Pyongyang has been developing an offensive cyber program for over 35 years through domestic innovation and foreign assistance. During that time, North Korea has undergone major transformations in its cybercrime modus operandi, shifting from disruptive cyberattacks and cyber intrusions primarily targeting South Korean government agencies to hacking banks and cryptocurrency exchanges located both on and off the Korean Peninsula.
While there is a growing amount of research identifying past, present, and potentially future North Korean cyberattacks, there is relatively little investigation into the potential origins of the country’s cyber program. Understanding the evolution of North Korea’s offensive cyber program can provide countries like South Korea and the United States with valuable information that can help improve bilateral cybersecurity strategy, including the joint cyber-working group discussed in the May 2022 U.S.-ROK Summit with Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol.
While there is a growing amount of research identifying past, present, and potentially future North Korean cyberattacks, there is relatively little investigation into the potential origins of the country’s cyber program.
Early Domestic Innovation and Foreign Assistance
North Korean society has been inherently linked to the military since the founding of the country in 1945. Beyond its status as an authoritarian state, all North Korean men are required to serve in the military for 10 years. As such, Pyongyang has recruited high-scoring graduates from top technology and computer science universities into the country’s military and intelligence agencies to expand its cyber capabilities and readiness. Two leading computer science universities in North Korea, Kim Il Sung University and Kim Chaek University of Technology, share historic ties with the North Korean military and IT sector, as well as foreign exchange programs with foreign universities that have potentially contributed to the expansion of the country’s cyber program. Starting in the mid-1980s, Pyongyang established three institutions that significantly contributed to advancing the country’s offensive cyber program: Mirim College, the Pyongyang Informatics/Information Center, and the Korea Computer Center.
Read the full article from The Diplomat.
More from CNAS
-
Trump Hits Russian Oil with ‘Tremendous Sanctions’
We are now learning that President Donald Trump’s Treasury Department will sanction Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil. According to Trump, this continues ...
By Edward Fishman
-
Tariffs Are a Weaker Weapon than Trump Thinks
This article was originally published in Financial Times. This past summer, Donald Trump’s faith in tariffs appeared vindicated. He sealed lopsided trade deals with the EU, Ja...
By Edward Fishman
-
How to Escape China’s Rare-Earth Chokehold
This article was originally published in The Wall Street Journal. Your editorial is right that countering China’s weaponization of rare-earth supply chains requires technologi...
By Liza Tobin
-
Transatlantic Security / Energy, Economics & Security
Bloomberg Tech | Day 1 | Opening Night DebateGeoffrey Gertz, senior fellow, joined Bloomberg Tech's opening night debate and attempted to answer the question “Is Europe Too Late to Compete in the Chip War?” The U.S. and ...
By Geoffrey Gertz
