A North Korean cyber espionage group previously known only for targeting South Korea’s government and private sector deepened its sophistication and hit further afield including in Japan and the Middle East in 2017, security researchers said on Tuesday. Cyber attacks linked by experts to North Korea have targeted aerospace, telecommunications and financial companies in recent years, disrupting networks and businesses around the world. North Korea rejects accusations it has been involved in hacking. U.S. cyber security firm FireEye said the state-connected Reaper hacking organisation, which it dubbed APT37, had previously operated in the shadows of Lazarus Group, a better-known North Korean spying and cybercrime group widely blamed for the 2014 Sony Pictures and 2017 global WannaCry attacks. APT37 had spied on South Korean targets since at least 2012 but has been observed to have expanded its scope and sophistication to hit targets in Japan, Vietnam and the Middle East only in the last year, FireEye said in a report. The reappraisal came after researchers found that the spy group showed itself capable of rapidly exploiting multiple “zero-day” bugs – previously unknown software glitches that leave security firms no time to defend against attacks, John Hultquist, FireEye’s director of intelligence analysis said. “Our concern is that their (international) brief may be expanding, along with their sophistication,” Hultquist said. “We believe this is a big thing.” APT37 has focused on covert intelligence gathering for North Korea, rather than destructive attacks or financial cyber crime, as Lazarus Group and other similar hacking groups… [Read full story]
North Korea is replacing a faulty section of a long-range rocket in a bid to put its launch schedule back on track, and is receiving help from Iranian missile experts, a South Korean newspaper reported Monday. Photo: AFP North Korea had said Sunday it was considering delaying the launch -- slated for some time between December 10-22 -- because of unspecified "problems" uncovered by technicians at its Sohae satellite launch station. But the Chosun Ilbo newspaper on Monday cited new satellite images that suggested the faulty component was being replaced to allow the launch to go ahead. "A new third…... [read more]
North Korea recently tested a small rocket engine, a monitoring group said Wednesday, after a U.S. official had reportedly suggested the test could be a step to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile. The respected 38 North analysis group however said it was not clear whether the test, conducted at the North's Sohae satellite launch site, involved an ICBM engine. Based on satellite imagery analysis, the Washington-based group said the nuclear-armed state appeared to have conducted a "small rocket engine test" on or around June 22. Previous satellite imagery of the site taken on June 10 showed no signs of…... [read more]
North Korea has changed its secret communication frequencies or encryption system to prevent spying by South Korea following the death of its leader Kim Jong-Il, a report said Saturday. File illustration photo shows North Korean People's Army troops in Pyongyang. Seoul is struggling to gather intelligencefollowing the changes, which came after the first order given by Kim'sson and successor Jong-Un was apparently leaked to the South Koreanmedia, according to the Dong-A Ilbo. "It appears that the North Koreanmilitary is changing the frequency bandwidth or encryption system out ofthe fear that the South Korean military is wiretapping," the SouthKorean daily…... [read more]
North Korea has covered the entrance to a tunnel at its nuclear test site in an apparent effort to avoid satellite monitoring ahead of a widely expected detonation, a report said Friday. This combination of GeoEye Satellite Images captured January 4, 2013 (L) and January 23, 2013 shows the Punggye-ri nuclear test facility in North Korea. The Punggye-ri site, which has three tunnel entrances and multiple support buildings, has been closely monitored by US, South Korean and Japanese intelligence since North Korea ramped up its test threats just over a week ago."Analysis showed a camouflage net looking like a…... [read more]
North Korea is developing unmanned attack aircraft using US target drones imported from the Middle East, according to a report. They are based on MQM-107D Streaker target drones, which are used by the US army, and imported from a Middle East nation believed to be Syria, Yonhap news agency reported. It cited an anonymous Seoul military official, adding the country would likely deploy them, once completed, near the tense maritime border with the South on the Yellow Sea. The US drone, which flies at 40,000 feet (12,000 metres) at a maximum speed of 575 miles (920 kilometres) per hour, is…... [read more]
