Seoul Says North Korea Hacked South Korea's Chip Equipment Firms

Seoul says North Korea hacked South Korea’s chip equipment firms

2024 03 04T105151Z 1 LYNXNPEK2309L RTROPTP 4 CYBER ATTACK scaled

FILE PHOTO: A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. RUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo

North Korea’s hacking groups have breached the systems of at least two South Korean manufacturers of chipmaking equipment, aiming to sidestep sanctions and produce their own semiconductors for weaponry, stated South Korea’s spy agency on Monday.

This revelation follows South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s cautionary note that North Korea might engage in provocations, including cyber assaults or dissemination of misinformation, to disrupt April’s parliamentary elections.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) disclosed that North Korean hackers had been actively targeting South Korean firms since late last year, urging for reinforced security measures.

In December and February, North Korea infiltrated the servers of two companies, pilfering product design blueprints and facility photographs, as per the NIS.

“We believe that North Korea might possibly be preparing to produce its own semiconductors in the face of difficulties in procuring them due to sanctions,” the statement read.

The North’s endeavours might also be fuelled by heightened demand for semiconductors in its satellite, missile, and other weaponry programmes, it further noted.

Despite Pyongyang’s consistent denial of involvement in cyber crimes, it has been frequently accused of orchestrating cyberattacks resulting in substantial financial gains.

Using a technique dubbed “living off the land,” the hackers minimised the use of malicious code and leveraged existing, legitimate tools within the servers, rendering detection challenging for security software, the NIS pointed out.