North Korean Alleged Spy Indicted in U.S. Hospitals Hack Plot
NewsweekJul 28
US, Allies Say NKorea's Hackers Trying to Steal Military Secrets
Above: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Image copyright: Mikhail Svetlov/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
In a joint advisory published on Thursday, the US, the UK, and South Korea warned that a group of North Korean hackers — dubbed Andariel — have been trying to steal classified military secrets to support Pyongyang's nuclear programs.
According to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, Andariel's alleged hostile cyber activities "pose an ongoing threat to critical infrastructure" organizations as well as sensitive and intellectual property data worldwide.
The Spin
Pro-North Korea narrative
The US and its allies have no credible evidence to link the so-called "high-profile" cyber incidents to Pyongyang. This advisory is laughable at best. On the one hand, the West describes the North as an archaic country and has subjected it to all kinds of sanctions. On the other hand, it's so afraid of North Korean intelligence services that it had to issue a global public alert. Moreover, while the US and its allies criticize Pyongyang for cyberattacks, they conveniently escape accountability for their massive espionage and cyber activities on foreign soil.
Anti-North Korea Narrative
The lengths that North Korean state-sponsored cybercriminals are willing to go to advance Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions are significant. They aren't just infiltrating defense, industries, financial networks, and medical facilities globally, they remain an ongoing threat to citizens' everyday lives. The North's aggressive military posture to circumvent international sanctions and fund its nuclear program now poses a serious risk to global security, which is why the world must heed the warning issued by the intelligence agencies.