North Korean Hacking – It’s no joke

North Korea and hacking is not a new topic. The cyber attack, which leaked thousands of documents including emails and scripts from Sony in 2014, was a major global news story. The attack was aimed at the conglomerate due to its imminent release of the film ‘The Interview’, which infamously parodied North Korea and ends with Kim Jung-un being killed.

As well as being the memorable example of hacks coordinated by the country, the film is a perfect example of the joking attitude commonly directed at its leader and government. While the scandal had major media coverage, the frivolous nature of the attack, in that it did not directly affect national security, allowed it to pass with many failing to understand its significance.

Long seen as a source of humour for entertainers and bloggers all over the internet, North Korea is often the butt of a joke. The threat that they pose through their nuclear weapon capabilities is very real, a fact which seems to be understood among much of the public. The thought that it could engage in a sophisticated cyber attack on the world’s strongest nations, however, is not, at least in most people’s experience, an outcome that those without an informed knowledge of the country would consider possible. As these latest reports suggest, this line of thinking is simply incorrect.

Over the last two weeks, there have been reports in a number of major publications of an outbreak of ransomware attacks, known as WannnaCry, crippling hundreds of thousands of computers around the world. Affected by these attacks include the world’s two biggest super powers, the United States and China. While cyber attacks within even the most powerful nations are becoming increasingly common, the alleged source of this latest hack, North Korea, is likely to surprise many in the general public. If you’re one of those people shocked by such a revelation, you shouldn’t be.

The recent round of ransomware assaults, fortunately, did not affect any government computers, the Trump administration confirmed. The attack on Sony, however, demonstrates that the sophistication of the hacks is already extremely high. In addition, recent information from NSA officials has linked North Korea to last year’s $81 million cyber heists of Bangladesh’s central bank. Not only are these hackers effective (whether they are North Korean themselves or simply sponsored by the country is still unclear), they are hitting major targets in countries around the world.

The events surrounding the recent presidential election in the United States involving Russia have thrust hacking into the public eye, and show just how influential it can be. These reports tying North Korea to the ransomware hacks should worry the general public and hopefully spur governments around the world to be fully aware of that nation’s hacking capabilities. The North Korean cyber threat is undeniably legitimate and future hacks are inevitable.