Seoul on alert for possible Russia-backed North Korean cyber attacks

The National Assembly intelligence committee is briefed by military intelligence authorities on cyber security threats on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

The military cyber security authorities in Seoul said Wednessday they are on the lookout for North Korea possibly colluding with Russia in its cyber attacks against pro-Ukraine countries.

According to Rep. Lee Seong-kweon, who was briefed by the Cyber Operations Command, North Korean attempts to infiltrate institutions affiliated with the South Korean military have increased significantly in the past couple of years.

The military’s cyber security authorities are “on alert” for possibility North Korean hackers may target South Korean military institutions jointly with Russia, which is concentrating its efforts against “countries that aren’t pro-Russia” since its war in Ukraine, the lawmaker said.

Citing the Cyber Operations Command, Lee said that among third countries, meaning countries other than North Korea, cyber attacks originating from China also showed a worrying trend. China was intensifying its cyber operations “across the board” amid its rivalry with the US, the lawmaker said.

Lee said North Korea has an army of some 8,400 hackers on the regime’s cyber operations aimed mainly at stealing military industry secrets and crypto assets.

The US is believed to have around 6,000 cyber warfare hackers, the Cyber Operations Command believes. China has more than 100,000 and Russia more than 200,000.

By Kim Arin(arin@heraldcorp.com)